Broken
by RussellCraig
Summary: JJ is in pain and is unwilling to accept the team's help. Desperate to save her friend Garcia calls Emily back from London. Can she pull JJ from the darkness or will it swallow them both?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Anything you recognize or like belongs to someone else, I'm just playing in their sandbox.

R-C

Broken

She stood at the bathroom sink and fought the urge to cry. Where had it all gone wrong? This wasn't how things were supposed to be for her. Not too long ago she thought she had everything she could ever want, and now she had nothing. Even looking back with the gift of hindsight, she still couldn't pinpoint the moment where it all went wrong.

The reflection in the mirror taunted her but she pretended not to notice. Ignoring the way her previously bright blue eyes were now empty of all emotion. The dark, bruise-like bags were evidence she hadn't been sleeping and her soft porcelain skin looked chalky and uneven.

In the privacy of her own home she didn't bother to try and pretend. For the last week while she and the team had been hunting a serial killer in North Dakota she'd had to hide behind a façade. She added salient comments when they were building the profile. She smiled when Garcia joked, when Reid rambled and when Rossi made yet another comment about how different things were now compared to the 'good old days'. When Hotch and Alvez innocently asked about her family she lied easily, far too easily in her opinion, insisting all was well. She even went so far as to say Will had taken the boys to visit their relatives in New Orleans since the case had taken longer to close than they originally expected.

In truth, the only time she felt remotely helpful was when she was talking to the victim's families. Those people needed her and she now related to them in a way she hadn't been able to before. Now when she held the hand of a mother whose child had been murdered, or when she watched a father cry, because he only turned his back for a moment and in that time his son vanished. Her situation was different but the parallels were unavoidable and it drove her to do the best she could, regardless of her personal feelings. If she couldn't help her own family perhaps her pain could fuel her to help others in even worse situations.

Tears stung the back of her eyes and she immediately looked away from the mirror so she wouldn't have to see them fall. With a violent shake of her head that sent her tight ponytail swinging wildly she marched out of the bathroom and down the hall to change. Her eyes stayed locked straight ahead, avoiding the doors on the left and right. Eight months later and she still couldn't bear going into one of her children's bedrooms. Both doors were closed, a final barrier keeping the past inside, separate from the life she was now struggling to live. It was the only way she could manage to make it through the day.

To make matters worse, she had the unique distinction of spending her time with some of the most observant and intuitive people on the planet. At first she tried to hide it, even knowing how pointless it would be. That ended quickly though because after only a week, she was simply too drained to keep up the charade. Now she saw the concerned looks, heard the whispered conversations that stopped as soon as she got close and caught eyes watching her from across the room, as if she were a puzzle to solve. She didn't care anymore, didn't have the energy to care anymore, so she just went through the motions, one day at a time and hoped that no one would pressure her for answers she couldn't give.

Everyday someone would ask how she was, how Will was doing, how Henry liked the newest gift they'd sent him or how quickly Michael was growing and every day she would lie to them. She hated it, lying to the people who had become a second family to her, but she didn't see another way. Some things were just too private to share, too personal to dump on people who were already dealing with so much. She decided the first day that it would be selfish to spread her burdens onto the team and that was one of the few choices in her life she didn't regret.

Dozens of times she'd picked up the phone to confess everything, to Hotch, to Garcia, she even considered calling Emily an ocean away, but she always hung up before the call could connect.

While there were times where she craved someone, anyone to share her pain with, she just couldn't do that to the team. Not when their work already took so much of their time, not when they all had their own monsters haunting them. She just couldn't do it.

Whether it was a case or not, she knew that the moment Hotch found out, he'd insist he be allowed to help. Urgent cases would be placed on the backburner so the most talented team in the entire FBI could aide in her marital problems. She couldn't allow that to happen. The thought of involving the others turned her stomach, reminding her how petty and selfish it would be to drag them into her misery just so she wouldn't have to suffer alone.

Dressed in a pair of boy shorts and an oversized football jersey that reached her knees she hurried out of the bedroom, avoiding looking at the bed and practically sprinting to the kitchen.

Once there, it took only seconds for her to retrieve the chilled vodka from where she'd hidden it and she carried it into the living room, while humming a melody she couldn't name. Flopping onto the couch carelessly, she twisted the cap off harshly and dropped it, before she took her first sip, not bothering with a glass.

Lifting the bottle to her lips for a second time she laughed humorlessly at how this must look, a young woman sitting alone, in the dark, drinking straight from the bottle. She could only imagine what the profilers she worked with would see if they were watching her now. Another thought rattled in her head and she thought of her mother, her sweet, small-town mother. What would her darling mother say if she could see her innocent daughter now? With vivid clarity, she could hear her mother's voice through the haze of pain, grief and alcohol. "Jennifer," she'd say, "this is no way for a mother to be acting."

Her laugh turned bitter then as she spoke back to her mother as if the older woman was actually in the room with her. "Relax mom, I'm not a mother… not anymore."

Long after those words had disappeared in the air, they still bounced around in her head, over and over. The truth hurt and the truth was that Jennifer Jareau, tough, brave, strong, intelligent, FBI agent Jennifer Jareau had lost everything and she didn't know how to get it back.

Determined to stop the thoughts from plaguing her she took another, longer drink and then another. Swallowing hard she did her best to ignore the burn as the memories of Henry's boisterous laughter and Michael's sweet giggles taunted her.

R-C

Penelope Garcia was a lot of things, most of them good, in her somewhat biased opinion, but no one, at any time, had ever labelled her patient. She was at her desk long after the work day was done and everyone else was gone, even Hotch but Garcia was going to stay, all night if she had to. No matter what it took.

Holding the phone to her ear she listened to the ringing while her toes, trapped in outrageous heels, tapped away under her desk. With each ring that went unanswered her anxiety grew. Were these rings longer and more spread out than normal? It seemed like they were.

As the ringing continued doubt began to creep in and move through her. Was she doing the right thing? Would JJ be mad she was invading her privacy? Would her actions damage the friendship she valued so highly? She didn't know, to be honest, but she was certain she had to do something.

For months, she'd watched JJ flutter around the office, hiding behind a mask of happiness when it was obvious to everyone that something was very wrong. The team saw it, Garcia wasn't even a profiler and she noticed, hell even Anderson commented more than once with concern for JJ's welfare. Garcia tried to talk to her, dozens of times, but each time the former media liaison expertly avoided any serious questions and steered the conversation away from her personal life, assuring her friend she was fine.

Garcia knew as well as anyone that life had its share of ups and downs, even for someone as sweet and kind as JJ, but this was becoming ridiculous. At first she expected JJ to bounce back on her own, after a few days, or a few weeks. When it didn't happen, she chalked the change up to separation anxiety, leaving Michael to return to work. Next she suspected that Will and JJ were having a fight. She knew the detective was always pushing for JJ to leave the field and take a desk job so the family could return to his native New Orleans, but JJ had been adamant, right from the start that she was where she wanted to be and Will would have to accept that.

It had been months since they'd seen each other outside the office and even longer since she'd seen she'd seen her Godson or the other adorable little boy she loved. Something just didn't feel right, and after years of working with profilers, she had learned the value of trusting one's instincts. She was trusting hers now, as the phone continued to ring, all she needed was someone to answer.

When the call finally connected, Garcia released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. It was strange to her how those five rings could feel like an eternity. Her toes increased the speed and veracity of their tapping as she listened to the noises on the other end.

While she waited, Garcia heard what she could only assume was someone reaching for their phone, and dropping it. Even with the phone separated from its owner Penelope was confident the word she heard was a curse of some kind although it was definitely not spoken in English. Not able to identify the language, her heart stilled in her chest and she wondered if she'd dialed the wrong number. Her fingers went to work on her keyboard searching out her address book to double check.

After another delay that stretched her patience even further Garcia heard the voice she'd been trying to reach. "Prentiss," she said groggily.

Guilt flooded through the blonde. She'd been so worried about JJ, so desperate to get her help, that she hadn't even considered the time difference when she decided to call Emily. "Emily, I'm so sorry," she said in a rush. "I forgot about the time-zones things, I didn't mean to wake you up."

"Garcia?" Emily asked. "Is that you?" The questions were separated with a yawn that confirmed she had indeed woken the Interpol agent.

"I'm sorry Sweetie, I didn't mean to wake you. I'll just call you back in a few hours. Sweet dreams and…"

Her words were cut off sharply by Emily's voice, sounding far more awake and just as firm and commanding as Garcia remembered it. "Garcia." When there wasn't an immediate response she tried again, her tone softening. "Garcia, what's wrong?"

Penelope didn't know what to do, a rare occurrence for her. She'd called to help, but she hadn't intended to wake Emily up in the process. Now Emily was awake the damage was already done and so Garcia had a decision to make. Should she explain the reason for her call or should she apologize again and hang up before Prentiss could object?

While she was still trying to decide the best course of action she was interrupted by Emily's voice. "Garcia, I'm fine, and I'm awake now, so you can talk to me. What's wrong? Is the team okay?"

Even from England Garcia could sense the concern Emily still had for their makeshift family. The thought warmed her heart and reassured her that she'd made the right decision in calling her, even if her timing was slightly off.

Again, she stayed lost in her thoughts until Emily pulled her out. "Garcia!" she said with force. "I need you to tell me what's going on."

Although she'd often heard that tone when Emily questioned suspects, Garcia herself had never been on the receiving end. Hearing it now, she had a sudden wave of empathy for the monsters who heard it while handcuffed to the table, looking into those dark eyes with no escape. Swallowing past the lump in her throat she fought to get the words out. "Emily, it's about JJ."

The response came almost instantly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Tell me everything!"

R-C

Emily boarded a plane for Virginia less than twenty-six hours after receiving Garcia's call. In that time, she had all but demanded a leave of absence from her job at Interpol, threatening to quit if her request wasn't granted. In a meeting with her boss' boss an old bureaucrat named John Clarke she thought she'd have to resign and was fully prepared to do so until he asked one critical question. Why?

When asked to reveal the reason of her sudden and inopportune absence she truthfully told the balding old bastard that it was a family emergency. She saw his eyes widen in surprise and his brow furrow. In that instant, she knew she had him. Clarke was ambitious and very aware of her mother's title and influence. He often asked about her in passing, hoping to score political points. For once Emily didn't mind.

By the end of the meeting Clarke not only granted the request but also wished her safe travels, while adding on that she should wish her mother well on his behalf. It was a challenge not to roll her eyes.

Oh, how she despised politics.

Signing the necessary papers Emily thanked him politely and shook his hand, before rushing out the door. She didn't feel the least bit of guilt at Clarke's misunderstanding. If her mother's name could get her to JJ when she needed to be there, she wasn't about to complain. As for the unavoidable consequences when Clarke learned the truth, well, Emily would deal with those when she got back.

Since there wasn't a direct flight from London to Virginia until three days later, Emily called in a favor or two and hitched a ride on a cargo jet that would be stopping to refuel at an airstrip less than thirty miles from her former home.

As she crossed the water Emily felt a knot in her stomach that grew tighter with every mile she travelled. She had a book open on her lap but she wasn't even pretending to read. All around her boxes and crates held secrets she couldn't be bothered to uncover or even consider, her entire focus was on JJ and Garcia's words.

Snippets of the conversation played on a loop in her head. The words Garcia said cut her like a knife and while none of it sounded like the JJ she knew and loved, she had been gone a long time and people could change. She idlily wondered what changed JJ so dramatically and didn't like any of the conclusions she reached.

Closing her eyes, she laid her head back against the side of the plane, feeling the vibrations of the steel behind her.

Desperate for answers she replayed the conversation with Garcia in her mind, again. Focusing on Garcia's words, her tone, her inflections.

"What's wrong with JJ?" Emily asked a little harshly, too panicked to worry about manners. She was wide awake now and ready for answers.

"I'm not sure," Garcia confessed, sounding defeated. "But it's bad, we all see it, and she won't talk to us. She won't hang out with us and she avoids us as much as she can. Even me."

She could hear the pain in Penelope's voice and that took Emily's own concerns to a whole new level. Secretly she'd always envied the closeness of JJ and Garcia's relationship. If Garcia was worried, Emily was too, because no one knew JJ better than Garcia, not even Will.

Emily's mind went to the most logical place, the job. Hunting human monsters is hard, and each one leaves its mark. She knew as surely as anyone the scars their job could leave, both visible and secret, and she shivered at the thought of JJ suffering through those alone. "Is it work? Have you guys had some rough cases?" She took a moment to pour herself a coffee and sat at the small circular table. "Cases with children were always rough on her but now that she's got Henry and Michael, I think they are even harder."

Garcia was quick to answer, as if she expected that question. "I don't think that's it. I mean all our cases are horrible, you know, but there hasn't been anything really, really bad lately." As she finished her thought she quickly added another, "Besides it's been months Emily, what could possible have her this scared for so long."

In her mind Emily went to one of the last times she'd seen JJ in person, hanging off the side of a roof, after being tortured and nearly killed. "Is it Askari?" she asked in a quiet voice, hating even speaking his name. "Have you talked to Cruz, is it about Hastings and what happened overseas?"

"That's what I thought!" Penelope shouted far too loud for the early hour. "Hotch even called Cruz to check, but he says there is nothing new, no threats, no chatter, no nothing."

Emily's mind raced. If it wasn't the cases, and it wasn't the past, that only left one option. "How are things with the family? Have you seen Will and the kids lately?"

"No," Garcia admitted sadly. "I haven't seen any of them in a long time, like months long. I keep offering to babysit so JJ and Will can have a date night, but she always says she has plans. When I stop by to visit unexpectedly, no one answers the door, even when her car is home, and when we go out as a team, she usually says no, or skips out after fifteen minutes. Last time she left before Rossi did."

Even as the fear gathered in her gut the comment from Garcia still made her smile. Rossi was a brilliant profiler, a great co-worker and an amazing friend, but he had little time for hanging out in dive bars, with dancing, darts and cheap beer. He preferred team get-togethers that included catered dinners, fine wines and cigars. When he did join the team out on the town it was common practice for Prentiss, Morgan, JJ, Garcia and Reid all take bets on how quickly he would make his escape. If JJ was leaving before Rossi she must have a hell of a reason for it.

"I don't know what to do," Garcia pleaded. "I've tried everything."

For a moment Emily turned her focus away from JJ and onto Garcia instead. She could hear the pain in her voice. "I know Garcia and it's going to be okay, I promise. I'll be there as soon as I can. Stay close to her, keep an eye on her, and I'll give you a call after I land."

Garcia seemed stunned, as if she didn't expect this outcome. "Y… you're coming here?"

"Of course, if you and JJ need me, I'll be on the next thing smoking, just hang tight and…"

"Emily Prentiss that is remarkably sweet," Garcia said as she interrupted her friend. "But what about work, your life in London?"

"You guys are more important," she answered confidently. "I'll talk to you soon Pen."

"What about Mark?" she asked, referring to Emily's former boyfriend.

She shrugged forgetting that Garcia couldn't see her. Her coffee had gone cold before she bothered to taste it. "We broke up a while back."

"Oh I'm sorry Cupcake, I didn't know…"

"Its fine Garcia,"

Sounding more like her cheerful self, Garcia asked, "So is there someone new?"

Emily's eyes snapped toward the bedroom where she could hear movement beyond the door. "We can talk about it when I see you," she said quickly, hoping to appease the gossip queen.

"So there is someone!" she screeched happily.

Emily held the phone away from her head for a moment, then when it was safe, set it back against her ear. "I'll call you when I land, give the team my love and keep an eye on JJ, I'll be there soon."

She hung up with her friend just as the bedroom door opened and her guest stepped out.

R-C

As Emily finished replaying the call for the umpteenth time she heard the crackled voice of the pilot saying they were preparing to land.

R-C

Author's Note: Thanks for reading. I'm not sure if this will interest other people, but it was stuck in my head. Let me know if you think I should continue, or give me suggestions for something else you'd like.

Russell Craig.


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note: Anything you like or recognize belongs to someone else.

R-C

Her head throbbed as she made her way through the house, going about her morning routine. After a shower, she dressed for work and headed for the kitchen. Once there she completed her morning with coffee and aspirin. Stretching her back awkwardly she cursed her decision to sleep on the couch and once again considered buying a new bed.

Glancing at the clock on the stove to check the time she finished her coffee and stood, feeling the tightness in her back and neck. She rubbed them in a futile attempt to loosen the muscles on her way to the door. With a deep breath, she put on her mask and slipped out into the world. Anyone who looked now would see normal, happy JJ.

She was halfway to her car when she realized she had company. At first she thought it was her imagination playing tricks. Mentally she calculated how many shots of vodka she'd had the night before. Was she seeing things?

The figure stepped away from the sedan parked at the curb. "Need a lift?"

She still couldn't process what she was seeing. She blinked hard twice, attempting to reset her eyes. How could Emily be here, looking calm and perfectly at ease, as though she never left? JJ took a moment to assess her friend. She looked professional in her pantsuit her hair hanging down past her shoulders. The time away had been good to her, and JJ noticed a beautiful silver necklace hanging down, the pendant disappearing under her shirt.

Finally, her brain kicked in. "Emily?! Oh my God, what are you doing here?"

With a playful grin, she opened the passengers side door. "Needed a break from London, missed my family and thought I'd come by for a visit."

By the time she had finished speaking JJ was in her arms, squeezing her tight. She couldn't believe Emily was here, it defied logic but JJ didn't care. For a single instant, she allowed herself to be vulnerable and she melted into Emily's embrace, savoring the undeniable feeling of safety she found in her arms. She held on for as long as she could without making things awkward and then she stepped back. For the first time in weeks the smile on her face was genuine and real. She truly had missed Emily.

"Seriously what are you doing here? You didn't just stop by to say hi. Are you on a case? Is something wrong?" Her mind went to the worst possible scenarios and fear gripped her tight.

A gently hand rested on her shoulder and JJ looked up to see the Interpol agent smiling warmly. "I told you, I just missed you." She paused briefly before adding, "I missed the team."

"You just up and left London for a vacation in the middle of the week?"

With a nod toward the car Emily used the hand on JJ's shoulder to nudge her in that direction. "I'll explain on the way, but if we don't leave soon we'll get stuck in traffic and you'll be late for work."

Suddenly JJ was skeptical. "You're going to drive me to work?"

Emily grinned. "I'm on vacation, I can do what I want. I want to see the team and I'm in desperate need of some girl-time. Interpol is one giant boy's club."

"That's not much different from the FBI," JJ pointed out.

Emily kept a hand on JJ's shoulder as she guided her. "In the FBI, I had you," she admitted in a quiet voice.

JJ froze. Her head which had been looking at the car spun back to Emily and she looked deep into her brown eyes. For a second she forgot about her problems, about Will, about the kids, about everything. For a single moment, she was at peace. The smile felt strange on her face, real and unexpected.

With a dramatic sigh and a roll of her eyes JJ slid into the passenger's seat. She wasn't entirely opposed to being driven to work, especially since the pounding in her head refused to cease. She made a mental note not to drink quite so much next time as she reached for the seat belt. Watching Emily close her door and then round the car to head for the drivers seat, JJ was overcome with questions. What was Emily really doing here? Vacations weren't particularly common in their line of work. Was there trouble in London, did she have to leave? How long will she be staying? What could possible be so urgent that she needed to show up in front of JJ's house so early and wait for her?

The engine roaring to life reminding JJ that she wasn't alone. She turned in her seat slightly to get a better look at Emily who was pulling away from the curb. "So what's going on Em?"

The driver smiled at her passenger before she answered. "London is nice and all, I like my job, my team is good, things are good."

JJ could hear the 'but' coming so rather than replying she just waited for it and she didn't have to wait long.

"But in London, there is none of this." As she said the final word Emily took her right hand off the steering wheel and gestured first to JJ and then to herself. "I missed my family."

Suddenly JJ felt bad, for questioning Emily's motives when she should just be grateful that her friend was here. Once again the smile she wore didn't require quite so much effort. "We missed you too Em, I can promise you that. The team is going to be thrilled to see you," JJ said honestly.

JJ went back in her memories, trying to remember the latest news she'd heard about Emily. For months, she'd been walking around only half hearing conversations, too lost in thoughts to focus. She realized, not for the first time, just how disconnected she'd become. She closed her eyes briefly, and took a calming breath.

"You ok Jayje?" Emily asked as they reached the halfway point in their journey.

"Oh yeah I'm fine, I just didn't get much sleep last night."

"Up with the kids?" the Interpol agent guessed innocently.

JJ didn't want to lie to Emily, but she couldn't tell her the truth either, that left her with only one option, half-truths, the kind that made her feel sick to tell.

After another soothing breath, she answered. "No actually, just case files and things. Will took the boys to visit his relatives in New Orleans. I think I'm having trouble with all the quiet." With a slightly forced laugh JJ nudged Emily with her elbow across the console. "Can you believe that? For years, I've been begging for peace and quiet and now that I've got it, I don't know what to do with it. The girls laughed together as Emily expertly steered the car to the office.

"How's Will?" Emily asked after a short stretch of quiet.

Inside JJ was fuming with anger and rage. How was Will? She was sure he was fine, better than fine probably, definitely better than her, he had the kids and…

Lost in her thoughts she was interrupted by Emily's hand resting on her leg. "Its going to be okay," she said in a whisper.

Unable to contain it, her mask slipped and the anger she was feeling poured out. "What's going to be okay?" she asked in a bitter tone.

Emily's hand didn't move, it just sat there, maintaining contact. "Whatever is going on, I want to help you, help your family, but you need to talk to me Jayje, please."

Her fury burned hot under her skin and she made a point to push Emily's hand away, knocking it off her leg before she spoke. "That's why you're here?" It all made sense now, the impromptu visit, the 'innocent questions.' JJ watched as Emily's eyes turned soft and showed their concern and she hated it, she hated the pity and the worry.

"JJ please," Emily pleaded.

"Who called you? Was it Hotch? Garcia? Reid?"

"JJ," she didn't get the chance to get another word out before JJ interrupted.

"What'd they tell you huh?" she barked, her volume rising with each word. "Poor JJ's walking around, looking tired, not talking to anyone, JJ didn't do this, JJ did do that. Well damn it Emily, forgive me for being busy and having things to do." She swallowed hard and continued her rant, she could feel Emily's brown eyes watching her intently the entire time, flicking over to the road only when absolutely necessary. "I'm a mother of two boys, of course I'm tired." She threw her hands up in frustration. "Jesus Christ did you ever consider that maybe after practically living with the team for weeks on end that maybe, just maybe I'd like some fucking time for myself?"

They made the final turn and Emily slowed the vehicle. "JJ that all makes sense, and if that's the case, fine. I just want to help you. You just need to tell me what you need."

"What I need? What I need is for all you people to stop fucking profiling me, that's what I need!"

As they landed in a parking spot JJ was out of the car in record time. She had to get to the elevator before Emily or else they'd have to ride up together. She couldn't handle that, she needed to be alone, to regather her composure before she went out and faced the team.

Luckily a pile of files in her office demanded her attention so she'd hopefully be able to hide away for most, if not all, of the day. Emily got out of the car at a more reasonable speed, JJ could hear the noises of the door closing but didn't look back. Halfway across the parking lot she looked over her shoulder without slowing down. "I'm sorry you came all this way for nothing, but I'm fine." Without waiting for a reply, she hurried to the elevator, leaving Emily behind her.

When the elevator doors opened, JJ was thrilled to see the box empty, she stepped inside and reached for the right button. The knot in her stomach grew tighter as she watched Emily try to catch up. JJ hated herself for doing it, but she pressed the 'Door Close' button all the same.

R-C

Emily almost made it, but as the doors closed with her only three feet away she realized just how far JJ had gone. While she waited for the next elevator her mind went back to their conversation. Garcia was right, something was very wrong. In all the time they had spent together in the office and out Emily could count on her hands the number of times JJ had said the word 'fuck' but apparently it had become a larger part of her vocabulary.

Her friend looked weary and sad and that was not the JJ that Emily knew. What could have happened? She didn't feel the least bit guilty about profiling JJ, first in the yard and then in the car. What she saw, she didn't like. Using the access card she still had, she pressed the button for Garcia's lair, the girls needed to talk.

While she travelled, she turned the card over in her hand, recalling her last day at the BAU. She had tried to return it but Hotch gave her one of his rare smiles and then shook his head. "Keep it," he said "you never know when you might need to come back."

Garcia's office was just as she remembered it, a few new pictures but Emily quickly noticed none of JJ, Will, or the kids, most were of Savannah, Morgan and their little one. Emily smiled. She stood silently in the doorway and watched the Queen type away at her 'babies'

"I travel all this way to see you and you can't even bother to say hello," she teased.

Garcia spun around in her chair and her jaw dropped as Emily stepped further into the office, shutting the door behind her. They'd need privacy for this.

By the time the door was closed Garcia was out of her chair and squeezing Emily so tight that breathing was becoming difficult. Rather than complain Emily hugged back. She loved Garcia and missed her greatly. More than once during her time in London when the techs failed to get the necessary information she thought, 'I need Garcia.'

Once she was released Emily took half a step back and the women spent a moment staring at one another in silence. Finally, Garcia ended the quiet, quite loudly. "Oh My God, Emily!" she shouted, likely forget where they were.

In an effort to calm her excitable friend, Emily took her hands, while Garcia practically bounced in front of her. "Garcia calm down, of course I'm here, I told you I was coming."

It took a moment but Penelope began to settle. "Emily," she said squeezing their joined hands. "Emily I can't believe you're really here." Her voice was low now, as if they were speaking in secrets.

"Of course I'm here you needed me."

Garcia pulled Emily in for another, less violent hug. "I've missed you so much."

"I missed you too Garcia, every day."

Both women sat and arranged their chairs to face each other. "Have you seen JJ?" Garcia wondered, turning the conversation serious.

"I drove her to work this morning and you're right something is very wrong."

The concern coming off Garcia was staggering and obvious. "What happened?"

"We talked a bit and I thought I was getting somewhere and then I offered to help her and she snapped," Emily recalled quietly.

Garcia gave her a sad look as if she expected that answer. "How bad was it?"

She scoffed lightly and shook her head. "I heard JJ cuss more on the way here this morning than I did in my first three years at the BAU. She's angry and its almost like she's bitter. She kept rolling her shoulders, like she was uncomfortable and any mention of Will and kids seems to set her off."

As she detailed her trip, Emily watched the sadness spread across Garcia's face and she wanted to stop it, but she had to be honest.

"You see it too then," Garcia said weakly. "I mean I'm no profiler but its pretty obvious somethings wrong and I tried to help, I really did, I tried and tried but I can't reach her."

The tears came and Emily held her friend as she cried. "Its going to be alright Penelope," she said gently as the crying slowed. "I know you tried and JJ knows you're trying too, she's just too upset right now to admit it." Emily settled Garcia back into her chair. "I'm going to fix this, I promise. I'm going to figure out what's going on here and I'm going to get the old JJ back, but I'm going to need your help."

Garcia was quick to answer as she swatted at a final errant tear. "I'll do anything. Where do we start?"

Emily thought for a moment, closing her eyes to focus. If this was any other case where would she start? Her eyes opened and she pointed toward the mass of computers. "Find me Will's cell phone. I want to know exactly where he is at all times."

R-C

Garcia's fingers wandered across the keyboard with ease, but her eyes were busy alternating between the two screens. On one she was running a search for Will's phone, and on the other she was watching the bullpen, enjoying the scene of Emily's reunion with the others. She noted JJ was absent from the crowded get together so she opened a third screen and with a few keystrokes added another camera to watch, JJ's office. She found her friend sitting at her desk bent over an open file. More than once while watching she saw JJ's eyes flash to the window, to see Emily and the others, but that never lasted, she'd look toward the window and then almost immediately turn her attention back to the file.

Garcia's worry for JJ was dulled by Emily's presence. She knew the Interpol agent was coming, but to actually see her here, to hear her say that everything was going to be okay, it gave Garcia hope that maybe she was right. After all, Emily Prentiss was rarely wrong.

Deep down she knew Emily was the one who could reach JJ when no one else could. She could have asked the others of course the entire team worried about her. But none of the team knew JJ as well as Emily did. The two shared their secrets, they shared their pain, they had a special bond, born out of tragedy and hurt and it made them closer than blood. After Afghanistan, it was Emily that JJ turned to for help. When Askari kidnapped her, it was Emily who crossed an ocean to help and in the end save JJ's life.

But their relationship was a two-way street. When Emily was away, hiding, pretending to be dead, cut off from everything and everyone she loved, it was JJ that kept her connected to the world with constant games of online Scrabble.

Two eyes watching three screens, Garcia was concerned she might get whiplash. The tech girl sighed each time JJ looked toward the window and she noticed that Prentiss took as many opportunities to glance up to JJ's office as she could. This simple gesture reassured her that Emily was as serious about helping JJ as Garcia was, as if leaving her job and changing continents wasn't enough proof.

On another screen, she watched Emily come out after going upstairs to meet with Hotch. Garcia watched Emily stealthy creep toward JJ's office. Looking at the clock above her screens she could see it was nearly lunch time. She wondered if Emily was brave enough to invite JJ to lunch. Garcia herself had tried this method of luring JJ from her office many times and it always failed. She silently hoped Emily would have better luck.

She focused her attention temporarily on JJ's camera, as well as the catwalk. She watched Emily knock on the door, and then turned her head to watch JJ tense in response. She had never wanted sound on these cameras as badly as she did in that moment. She could see JJ's lips moving and her hands waving dramatically while she stood halfway between the door and the desk. She didn't even open the door to let Emily in. With her back to the camera Garcia couldn't see if Prentiss replied but she was sure she did. Whatever she said caused JJ to take a slight step back before she returned to her angry yelling and hand waving posture. It was so unlike JJ it was painful for Garcia to see. Emily walked away from the door without seeing JJ, just as Penelope had done so frequently. Heading toward Rossi's office, just a foot from JJ's door, Garcia could see Emily's lips moving and assumed she was talking to herself until she glanced at JJ's screen and saw the blonde with her head in her hands as if she was about to cry. Had Emily said something to JJ that had finally gotten through to her. Garcia hoped so, she missed her friend.

When the beep came, she was pulled away from watching Prentiss tease Reid while Alvez stayed close and added the occasional comment. The sound was much louder than she was used to it and she was confused briefly until she remembered she increased the volume on the computer searching for Will, to ensure she wouldn't miss any news. Garcia's world ran on information, and now she had some. Her computers were telling her that Will's phone was in New Orleans.

Garcia felt a wave of guilt. JJ had said Will and the boys were visiting family in New Orleans and the phone seemed to back up that claim, so why then was JJ so distraught?

Pulling out her cell phone she called Emily and waited. Garcia knew she was interrupting a bonding moment between Emily and Rossi, but she'd apologize later. Before Emily could even speak, Garcia erupted, "I got something you need to see!"

R-C

Author's Note: Thank you for reading. I didn't know if this story would interest anyone but me, but there seems to be some interest, so as long as people keep reading, I'll keep posting. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed my story, I appreciate it.

To the Reviewer who asked if this was going to be a Jemily story, I can honestly say I'm not 100% sure. That is my intention, but since I'm making this up as I go, I can't promise anything.

Thank you,

R-C


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Note: Anything you like or recognize belongs to someone else.

R-C

Despite being rather comfortable in her chair, with sore feet thanks to painfully beautiful shoes, Garcia couldn't stay seated as she waited for Emily to make the trip from Rossi's office to her own. In fact, the computer genius was so eager that when she heard the tell-tale sounds of Emily's heeled boots stepping off the elevator she left the sanctuary of her paradise and decide to wait in the hall.

Emily looked stunned to see her and increased the length of her strides, a fact Garcia appreciated. "Garcia," she said, "what is it? What's wrong? What did you find?"

Taking hold of Emily by the bicep she pulled the taller woman rather forcefully back toward the safety of her lair. She whispered as she replied, all too aware of the many eyes and ears that might see and hear them if they spoke too loudly in a public hallway. "That search you asked me to run got a hit."

Only when they were in Garcia's office with the door closed did Emily venture to clarify the news. "So you found Will's phone then?" she asked, still choosing a volume barely higher than a whisper.

Garcia sat down and brought up the information for Prentiss to see. "He's in New Orleans, just like JJ said he is."

Emily nodded stiffly and Garcia couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking. "It's been so long since I've seen Will that after I called you, I double checked that that phone number was still in his name, that he hadn't changed numbers or anything in the time since. He hasn't," she said in a frantic rush to get all the words out before they choked her.

"So the phone is still registered to Will, and it is in New Orleans right now?" Emily summarized.

"That seems to be the long and the short of it Gumdrop. The bill is being sent to their house here, but the phone itself is still registered to Will and is in New Orleans."

"Great work Garcia," she praised. "Maybe he'll have some answers for us," Emily said, her eyes looking past Garcia as if she were staring at something far off in the distance.

Garcia again wished she could read Emily's thoughts, but quickly admitted there were somethings she'd rather not know. Needing to feel useful she began typing while Emily remained silent and unmoving. "Well if you want answers from Will, we can get them, I can connect you right now if you want."

With a start Emily came back to the present, reaching out and putting a firm hand on Penelope's shoulder. "No, Garcia, not yet."

Garcia was overcome with confusion and annoyance. Didn't they agree they'd do anything for JJ? Now they had their first chance to figure this out and Emily didn't want to take it? It just didn't make sense. "What Emily?! You can't be serious! You don't want to talk to him? He might be the only one who can help us understand what is going on with Jayje and you don't even want to try?" In a rare moment of anger, Garcia grabbed a pink stress-ball off the corner of her desk and squeezed as hard as she could.

"You're exactly right," Emily agreed calmly, seemingly oblivious or unmoved by Garcia's outburst. "Will _is_ the only one who can give us answers, so what happens if we call him, he realizes it's us, and hangs up? How long before he ditches his phone and we lose our only method of keeping tabs on him?"

Garcia felt momentarily foolish for not realizing the dangers of such a call, but she was quick to push her self-pity to the back of her mind, because she knew Emily would never dismiss her idea, without a better one of her own. "Okay," she surrendered, "so how do we handle this?"

Emily moved a step closer, keeping a hand on Garcia's shoulder. From behind the chair, she could see what Garcia saw, as she saw it. "I need you to keep the trace on Will's phone going, let me know if he leaves New Orleans and I'll head out first thing in the morning to find him."

Being speechless was not a condition Penelope Garcia was familiar with, in fact she usually had exactly the opposite problem, but in this case, she was certain she looked like a fish out of water, mouth gaping and all. Surely Emily couldn't mean what it sounded like she meant, could she?

"You're going to go to New Orleans," she verified, "tomorrow?"

"I'll take the first available flight, and if there isn't one, I'll fly private…"

The speechlessness she was suffering from was gone now and it was as if her brain and mouth were determined to make up for lost time. "Emily that's insane, you can't just show up at Will's family's house and ask him what's going on with JJ. Why don't we call him? I know what you said, but Will loves JJ, I don't think he'd hang up on us, especially if we told her Jayje was in trouble."

Emily backed away from where she had been watching Garcia's screens and began pacing the length of the office like a caged tiger. Garcia noted how graceful and deadly Emily could seem, in even the most serene of environments.

"I'm not willing to take that chance Penelope. If we only have one chance to help JJ, I'm not going to blow it just to save myself a few hours of air travel. Besides I'll get a better read on Will if I can look him in the eye."

"So, you're just going to march up to Will and demand answers?"

Garcia's heart was racing in her chest as she waited for the answer, and it only pounded harder when Emily stopped pacing and pinned her with a serious stare. "That is exactly what I'm going to do. Everything I've seen today has led me to believe that whatever is going on, has to do with JJ's family, not her job or anything else, her family. That means the only two people who can give us answers are JJ and Will. Since JJ has been less than forthcoming that only leaves us with one other option."

Garcia silently marveled at how simply Emily made it all sound, like she hadn't flown from London on a moment's notice, like she wasn't intending to rush off to New Orleans on a hunch. Privately Garcia still felt guilty for assuming JJ was lying, about Will and the boys being in New Orleans, so to compensate she found herself giving Will the benefit of every doubt, despite her growing concern for JJ.

"Emily I've been trying to get JJ to open up for months. If they are going through a marital problem this serious, do you really think Will is just going to tell you everything because you show up uninvited and ask?"

With her arms crossed over her chest Prentiss answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "He _will_ tell me what happened between him and JJ, even if it his confession has to comes at gunpoint," she promised darkly.

Garcia was stunned by the words, and more so by the cold way they were delivered. She tried to intervene while she fought off a shiver that was moving up her spine. "Emily, listen to yourself, this is Will we're talking about, JJ's Will."

"Exactly," Emily countered harshly. "JJ was my friend, my best friend and I missed her every single day, the same as I missed you but in JJ's case the only thing that kept me from calling every day to check in and make sure she was happy and safe was the knowledge that she had Will, to love her, to support her, to protect her and to help her battle the demons that linger in her memories. Now I find out that for almost a year, she's been suffering alone, and Will, the person who promised to love her, who promised to always be there for her, has been MIA. Believe me when I tell you Garcia I'm finding it pretty damn hard to muster up a whole lot of sympathy for Will at the moment."

Garcia was taken aback by the fierceness in Emily's words. This time the shiver could not be contained and it shook her whole body while she pretended to focus on her screens. Emily had always had a hard, outer shell, a product of her horrid childhood, where she learned to bury her feeling deep where no one could see them, but as Garcia and the rest of the team quickly learned after they got to know her, the real Emily under that shell was kind, sweet, caring and even gentle. To hear her speaking so angrily had Garcia wondering if she wasn't missing an invaluable piece of the puzzle somehow. The only time she'd heard Emily so calloused was when she was going after Doyle.

Garcia treaded carefully as she crafted her reply. "Sweetie, we both want the same thing, the old JJ back and I know you're willing to do whatever it takes, but just remember this is Will, and regardless of anything that might be going on between them now, JJ would probably be upset if something happened to him."

"Hopefully it won't come to that."

Eager to find a change in subject Garcia went with something she'd been dying to know since noon. "Did you invite JJ to lunch?"

The Interpol agent looked as if she was about to ask how Garcia could know such a thing, until she remembered who she was talking to, and thought better of it. She hadn't been gone that long. "I tried but she wouldn't even open the door."

Garcia gave her friend a sincere, sympathetic smile. "I feel your pain Buttercup. I think I've had more conversations with JJ through that door, than I've had looking at her face lately." After a pause, she thought of another question that was tormenting her. "After you walked away, toward Rossi's office did you say something to her? I was watching JJ's office and it seemed like whatever you said, hit the mark."

With an innocent shrug that lacked all sincerity Emily answered. "I may have reminded our stubborn friend that even if she stayed in her office all day, she'd still need to see me when she wanted a ride home."

R-C

Behind her desk JJ was alternating between anticipating the end of the workday and dreading it. On one hand, she was eager to get away from the watchful eyes of the team and their pitiful expressions, but on the other she knew she'd likely have to ride home with Emily when she was finally ready to call it a day and that prospect was less than appealing. Twenty miles of awkward silence didn't sound like a good end to an already challenging day.

When the time finally came, she wasn't the least bit surprised to find Emily waiting, leaning casually against the wall, between the two elevators. "Ready to head out?" she asked, as if they weren't in the midst of the worst fight they'd ever had.

"I think I'll take a cab," JJ retorted bitterly.

Emily pushed off the wall and let her arms hang at her sides. "Come on Jayje, I meant what I said before, I really have missed you. What do you say we go out to dinner?" JJ was about to refuse but Emily was faster. "I promise we won't talk about anything you don't want to talk about. I'll take you any place you want to go, we can even talk about London the whole time if you want, whatever you want."

Although she wanted to remain angry, JJ felt the knot in her stomach loosen slightly as she recognized the Emily she remembered, the woman who would do anything for the people she cared about, no matter what it cost her. Memories raced through JJ's head at breakneck speed. First Emily resigned to avoid ruining Hotch's career for Strauss and then she showed up just days later when she learned the team needed her, even though she was no longer an agent. Years later she'd left the team far less formally to face Ian Doyle alone, nearly dying, just so the people she loved wouldn't be placed in danger because of her. The truth was JJ missed Emily just as much as Emily appeared to miss her, but she wasn't sure she could handle a repeat of their ride in to work. "I'm not sure Em," JJ said, making an effort to soften her hard tone.

"One dinner and if you want me gone after that, I'll be on the next plane back to London."

JJ was startled by the offer. It took her longer than it should of, to compose a reply. "You'd go back to London?"

In contrast Emily's answer was automatic like she didn't have to consider it, or it was already waiting on the tip of her tongue. "I'd do anything for you Jennifer, even leave."

The sincerity behind those words was undeniable and it warmed JJ's long cold heart to hear them directed at her. She moved closer and focused on Emily's deep brown eyes. "I have missed you so much Em, I just don't want to fight with you, not about this, not again." She hated the way her voice cracked as she reached the end of her plea.

"No fights, I promise."

JJ wanted to believe, but trust wasn't something she had in abundance these days. "What if…"

Emily surprised her by cutting her off. "My word isn't enough?" she questioned, sounding slightly hurt.

Guilt slammed her like a tidal wave as she watched Emily's eyes, which had been locked on her since she arrived, suddenly avert to her boots. "Em, it's not that."

JJ was speechless as Emily reached into the pocket of her pants and pulled out keys on a cheap plastic chain. JJ had spent enough time in rental cars to recognize what she was looking at. Emily threw the keys in JJ's direction and the blonde caught them instinctively.

"You can pick the restaurant, you can drive and if I push you on any topic you don't want to discuss, you can leave me at the restaurant and go."

After eight months of solitude the thought of dinner with another person, even Emily was somewhat frightening, but she couldn't think of a reasonable excuse to get out of it either. To complicate matters further it was getting harder and harder for JJ to ignore the way Emily was going above and beyond to accommodate her issues. She tightened her grip around the keys and closed her eyes. When they opened, she'd made her decision.

"Let's go before I change my mind."

R-C

Emily felt oddly like she was back at one of her mother's pretentious dinner parties as she sat in JJ's favorite hole in the wall restaurant. Despite her promise to let JJ lead the conversation the pair had barely said more than two words to each other since they sat down and now they were both studying a menu they knew by heart to avoid awkward silence.

Just as she promised, she allowed JJ to drive and choose their destination but none of her submissive gestures seemed to be having the desired effect, at least not yet.

Only when the waiter had taken their order and disappeared into the kitchen did JJ break their stalemate. "So how's London?" she asked, clearly testing the waters.

Emily for her part, was so pleased JJ was speaking, she tripped on her own words while getting them out. "Oh… y… you know… a lot like here I suppose. Work is always busy. I spend more time with my team than I do with anyone else and there are no shortage of horrible moments or happy ones."

JJ's eyes widened slightly as she listened and she gifted the Interpol agent with a brief smile. "Yeah, that sounds about right," she said somberly. After a pause, she asked, "How's your team? Did you ever fill that opening you had? The one you told me about?"

Emily was temporarily at a loss, though she hid it expertly just as she'd mastered in childhood. The truth was she hadn't filled a spot on her team in nine months. She went back in her memory trying to recall her last conversation with JJ. Had it really been that long?

"Uh, yeah," she answered, deciding it was unnecessary to remind JJ how long they had gone without speaking. "Yeah I found someone for that spot, and he's fitting in well. I mean he's not you, or Reid, or anything but he's a solid agent."

Their meals arrived and they began to eat. Emily cursed the waiter's timing, assuming JJ would use it as an excuse to end the conversation that had just begun, but to her surprise after her first few bites JJ restarted the conversation. "Do your hours make it difficult with Mark?"

Emily luckily had a mouthful of food that allowed her time to construct an answer as she chewed and swallowed. "He wasn't always happy with my hours, or the fact that I was always on call, but that wasn't why we broke up," she admitted truthfully.

"Oh Em, I'm sorry I didn't realize you had broken up," JJ said kindly, reaching across the table and placing a comforting hand over Emily's.

Emily in turn, flipped her hand and interlocked her fingers with JJ's. "It's alright, it was my decision and it was for the best."

Without taking her hand back JJ asked quite possibly the last question Emily wanted to answer. "So if it wasn't the work that led to your break-up what was it?" The question hung in the air for two long seconds before JJ added hurriedly, "If you don't mind me asking, that is."

Emily squeezed JJ's hand and then released it, hiding hers under the table as innocently as she could manage. In her gut, she knew she couldn't expect JJ to open up to her, if she wasn't willing to do the same, but that didn't make it easy. In a strange way, it was almost fitting that JJ be the first to hear the news. Still she wasn't confident she knew how JJ would react, small town JJ, who seemed so different now when compared to the last time they'd seen one another. It took her well over a minute to craft a reply, forcing Emily to take several bites from her plate that she no longer had an appetite for, just to buy time.

"We broke up because I found I was interested in someone else."

In a move reminiscent of Garcia JJ leaned forward in an attempt to hear the gossip sooner. "Oh Emily that's great!" she exclaimed. "Who is he? Is he an agent too? How cute are we talking here?" she teased, reminding Emily of her lost friend more with each word.

Emily picked up her glass of water and took a long drink, swallowing far harder than was usual to get past the lump in her throat. Here goes nothing. "Her name is Megan actually and she is an ER nurse. We met after an Unsub slashed my back with a rusty hatchet and I needed stitches and vaccinations. As for how cute she is, I happen to think she's pretty cute, but I might be biased."

Across the table all of JJ's emotions were visible to Emily as they crossed her face. First there was a flash of surprise and doubt, as though she'd heard or understood incorrectly, then realization and finally contemplation. Emily finished her meal while she patiently waited for JJ to process the information. She could see the wheels turning behind her blue eyes, but made no attempt to rush her. This would be a lot to take in under any circumstances.

Opposite her JJ seemed entirely uninterested in her food any longer. "Em that's great, you deserve someone who makes you happy, whoever it is."

Emily smiled in thanks. That was exactly the kind of thing the JJ she loved would say. "Thanks, you're actually the first person I've ever told and I will admit I was more than a little nervous."

To keep her hands busy she was picking at a napkin until JJ's hand settling over hers stilled her movements. "You have no reason to be nervous Emily, not with me, we can't help who we love and you above all others deserve to have someone to share your life with."

Emily felt obliged to set the record straight. "Thanks Jayje, truly. You took a potentially terrifying conversation and made it easy, so thank you." She waited a beat and then moved on to the next point. "Megan and I aren't really dating, it's more of a casual thing, you know, when our schedules allow." She squeezed JJ's hand and then chuckled lightly. "Don't tell him I said this, but I think Morgan had the right idea when he found a woman who was just as busy as he was. it makes it easier when the leaving is a two-way street."

"I can understand that," JJ said with a hint of sadness before she perked up. "As for Morgan, your secret is safe with me."

The two girls laughed together and it felt like old times again, as if the intervening years hadn't happened. "You done?" Emily wondered with a nod toward JJ's plate.

"Yeah, I'm full," JJ confessed.

With another nod Emily reached into her pocket and pulled out a collection of bills. JJ tried to protest but Emily wouldn't hear of it. She left the money on the table and the women stood from their seats. "Come on," Emily said falling in step beside her friend. "Let's get you home."

R-C

Author's Note: Thank you for reading. I'm pleased people seem to be enjoying a story I didn't think would ever go beyond my personal library of writings.

Advanced Warning: My daily updates will likely stop for a few days, but I will be back by the start of next week. To those upset by this, I offer a silver lining, when I return, I'll be stuck on bedrest, which I assure you will leave me plenty of time to write (and finish) this story.

Until then,

R-C


	4. Chapter 4

Authors Note: Anything you like or recognize belongs to someone else.

R-C

Penelope Garcia was actively trying not to think about Emily and what she may or may not be doing at any given time. Since she found Emily the flight to New Orleans she knew she'd been on the ground there for no fewer than four hours, and if history had taught her anything, specifically, with Doyle in Boston, Emily didn't require much time to get herself into trouble. In fact, four hours felt like a lifetime to the technician.

She tried to keep herself on the task at hand, looking for a link between victims in an ongoing case in New Mexico. It had been determined the case wasn't bad enough for the whole team to travel, but Reid was completing a profile to submit, and was including recommendations for the local police. He'd ask Garcia to search for a link, he could include if there was one. She was happy to oblige. As she searched it gave her an active excuse not to stare at the screen watching Will's cell phone, taunting her with the lack of knowledge she had. She was acutely aware that each minute brought Emily closer to Will's phone, for better or worse.

The Interpol agent had promised to call as soon as she'd learned something and Garcia trusted that she would, but it hadn't happened yet and worry was beginning to creep in. Luckily before she allowed herself to get too lost in that line of thought, a knock at her door interrupted. "Come in," she called, skillfully hiding Will's cell phone trace, simply so she wouldn't have to explain its purpose if someone recognized what it was. That decision seemed all the more wise and preemptive when JJ herself came through the door. She closed the door behind her, and stood just inside it, looking uneasy.

Garcia struggled to think of a reason that JJ would venture down to her office. Before the shift in JJ's personality that changed everything, it would be natural, if not expected to see JJ in her lair, whether she had a valid work related reason, or not. Sometimes she just wanted to talk and Garcia was all too happy to indulge her friend. But after she changed, those visits stopped all together. Now if JJ needed work related intel to close a file she'd rely on email to communicate with Garcia. It had been months since they'd stood together, willingly in the same office like this. It surprised her, but it wasn't as if Garcia minded.

Trying to keep her voice steady, as if she wasn't surprised, Garcia turned in her chair. "Jay-Jay," she began, stretching out each syllable. "What can I do for my favorite Honey Bear?"

"Hey Garcia," she countered with very little delay. "I was just wondering if you'd heard from Emily?"

Garcia didn't know if she was more surprised JJ was asking, or that she was asking about Emily specifically. Thankfully the wording of the question allowed her to answer without lying. "I haven't spoken to Emily since yesterday, before you two left. Why?"

While JJ's demeanor was far from her 'old' self, she was closer to it than she had been in weeks. "We went to dinner last night and she dropped me at home. I called to thank her three times today, and each time it goes straight to voicemail. That's very unlike her, she's never more than five feet from her phone, so I'm starting to get a little worried." By the end of her comment, she was showing even more hints of her true self.

Secretly Garcia was thrilled that Emily had successfully seduced JJ to dinner, and equally thrilled it had been so enjoyable that JJ wanted to thank her.

Choosing her words careful so not to lie, Garcia gave her friend a reassuring smile. "I wouldn't worry, if she's away from her phone now I'm sure it'll be back on and charged in no time." She avoided the urge to look at her watch and kept her eyes on JJ's face. "I'll tell you what, I'll run a search on Emily's phone and the minute it becomes active, I'll let you know, how's that?"

JJ perked up. "That would be great Pen, could you do that? You don't think she went back to London, already do you?"

Apparently, it was Garcia's day to be thrilled. Moments ago, she was thrilled they had even gone to dinner, and now she was doubly-thrilled to hear that JJ enjoyed it so much she wasn't ready for Emily to go. No one wanted Emily to return to London, but for it to be recluse JJ down here asking, was what she could only call a step in the right direction. It once again confirmed that she made the right choice turning to Prentiss when she herself was at a loss to aid JJ. "She promised me another visit before she left for London, so she'll definitely be back, and as for the search, anything for you."

The smile Garcia saw was the most honest she'd seen from JJ in ages. "Thanks Pen, you're the best."

In an attempt to keep the mood light, Garcia countered with a confident, "I am, aren't I?" The two women laughed together at her antics. "Do you want to stay down here and wait for news?" Garcia offered casually.

"I wish I could," she answered, still looking sincere. "Unfortunately I've got a mountain of files on my desk and I know a file was escalated straight to Hotch for review, so I need to get back to it."

"I understand, I'll get that search started and whether you're in your office or on a case, I'll let you know as soon as I have news."

"Thanks Pen," the media liaison said quietly as she opened the door and stood in the opening.

Garcia resisted the urge to ask JJ how she was, knowing full-well what the answer would be. "Anytime Jayje, anytime at all."

The two girls said a quick goodbye and once Garcia was alone with her door closed she set up that search she promised JJ. She knew for a fact the reason Emily's phone was off was because she had been on a flight, and now she was probably too focused to bother turning it back on. Still, Garcia trusted her to call with an update when she had one. When that happened, she'd pass the information along to JJ, just as she said she would. In fact, she was excited for the prospect. For the first time in what felt like eons Garcia felt like she was getting through to JJ, with Emily's help, and her excitement was palpable.

R-C

While driving across New Orleans remembered to turn back on her phone. As soon as it came alive, Emily was rewarded with chirps and beeps that marked missed texts, missed calls and voicemails. Before she could consider checking any, a fresh one came in, not surprisingly from Garcia.

 _Me first, then JJ -_ it said bluntly.

When her phone rang moments later she knew exactly who it would be. "Garcia, what a surprise hearing from you?" she teased as she tightened her grip on the steering wheel.

"Oh Gumdrop you have no idea. Our little blonde hermit was far less hermit like when she came down to MY office to check on you this morning. She was concerned you'd disappeared back to London. It was only there in flashes, but I saw hints of our old girl."

Emily smiled, both at the news and at Garcia's unapparent need to breathe. "Relax Garcia, breathe, it's okay. I'm here now and it's going to be okay."

She listened while Garcia took several obedient breaths. "You don't understand, I haven't seen JJ down here in months and she came down this morning, looking for you and asking me to track your phone. They might have a potential case, but she insisted she be told when your phone came back on, case or no case. What the hell did you put in that dinner last night?"

Emily laughed gently. "Go ahead and pass along the message to JJ that I'm not in London and I'll be in touch soon. What can you tell me about Will's phone? Has it moved at all?

Through the phone Emily listened to Garcia typing away. It gave Prentiss time to admire the car she'd rented, it was exactly what she asked for, a high-end sedan with tinted windows and a high-end GPS system. "This phone doesn't move much Emily I mean at all. It is as if he never leaves the same three-block radius, for a man with kids that seems strange, don't you think."

The engine roared as she sped away from a red light. "Let's go ask him." For several minutes Garcia read off the addresses and Emily entered them into system.

As they ended their call, Emily could tell that Garcia was already on her feet and moving, rather quickly. "Off to tell JJ your phone is back online, so you better have your story ready and waiting."

"I do," Emily countered, feeling rather smug on the subject. Knowing her absence would come up, she had done a little research after she dropped JJ off the night before and learned that David, a former friend of hers, another child of a diplomat was currently living in Texas with his family. They kept in steady but rare contact, once or twice a year, Christmas cards, birthday cards, that kind of thing, likely because their respective mothers wouldn't allow them to forget such things, but whatever the reason it was beneficial now. Emily would tell JJ she was visiting David while she was really, hunting Will and the truth.

When the phone buzzed in her lap she picked it up immediately, but acted as if she didn't know who was calling or why. "Prent…."

"Oh my God Emily! There you are! I've been trying to reach you all morning."

"Sorry Jayje, I didn't mean to worry you, I thought I'd be there and back before you notice," Emily confessed truthfully as she sped through traffic.

"Back from where?!" she barked harshly. After a few seconds she seemed to sense her tone and amend it. "I'm sorry Em, I didn't mean it like that, I just had a nice time at dinner last night and then this morning I couldn't reach you, I was worried."

"No need to worry, it seems my vacation isn't so much of a vacation. My mother has sent me on a diplomatic mission to visit a kid I grew up with who lives in Texas. She works with his diplomatic mother. David isn't answering his mother's calls, I wonder why that would be," she said sarcastically, causing both women to laugh before she continued. "They just want me to check in and make sure he's okay and I'll be right back home."

On the other end of the line she heard coughing, gagging and gasping. "Sorry, sorry," she muttered as she worked through her problem.

When everything appeared settled, Emily tried carefully. "Everything alright there Jayje? Don't tell me your body is rejecting coffee now."

With a very JJ-like laugh, that warmed Emily's heart, the blonde answered. "I assure you, even in the grave my body will still take coffee willingly Agent Prentiss."

"Noted, so if it wasn't the coffee what caused your most favorite drink to suddenly battle against you."

There was a slight delay in JJ's response which allowed Emily to take note that she was driving into a less savory part of town. Run-down buildings, abandoned buildings, and no shortage of wandering men and women moving in all directions, on both sides of the streets. She couldn't imagine this was the kind of place Will grew up.

"You said you were going home as soon as you were done there. Did you mean London?" she asked, the last word in a whisper, as if she was afraid to say it, or more likely afraid to hear the answer that followed.

Emily's heart warmed further. "Jennifer Jareau, you listen up and you listen good. My address, my apartment and a fair amount of my favorite clothes may be in London right now, but I'm telling you that was not now and has never been my home. My home, is in DC, I'm sure you remember the spot, little view of the Capitol."

JJ laughed again, a sound Emily loved. With teasing in her voice JJ played. "I seem to remember a place vaguely like that, I believe I spent the night once or twice." Her voice turned serious after another round of laughs. "I hadn't realized you kept the place after you left, I assumed you put it on the market."

"All my best memories are there, in that condo and with the team. I'll never sell it." The GPS announced her arrival so she reluctantly had to end their call. "Listen Jayje, I just arrived at David's so I need to let you go for a bit, but I'll be back on a flight tonight, tomorrow at the latest and I will definitely will be going straight home," she paused for dramatic effect, "I'll see you when I get there."

She could hear JJ's smile, brief as it was, she could tell it was present. It seemed to remind JJ of the reason for her original call. "I really did have a good time last night Emily and I'm sorry I gave you such a rough time since you got here…"

"Don't apologize Jayje, everyone has things they don't want to talk about, I surely understand that. Just don't forget people are worried about you, and people love you, including me. We'll talk more when I get back."

In a mark that signaled real progress JJ told her what she already knew. "We might be on a case, but if we're not, I might even let you pick the restaurant."

"Oh Jennifer, you say the sweetest things," she laughed before she hung up, not allowing JJ a chance to get the last word.

Outside the air-conditioned car she was once again struck by the oppressive heat. She called Garcia and had the call fed into her wireless earpiece so she didn't have to waste one of her hands holding the phone to her rear. In the other pocket, she had a recording device. One push of a button and it would record everything being said, by Will or anybody else. If what she was growing to suspect was true, she'd need proof and what better proof than a recording. If it worked for the FBI, it would work now, right?

She called Garcia and asked for directions to the exact spot where the phone was now. As she feared, it led her not to a home with a drawling family she could barely understand, with two children she adored but instead to a homeless encampment. Once Garcia had located the exact bed and therefore the exact person with the phone Emily turned off the phone and activated the recorder. She lifted it from her pocket just enough to see the red 'recording' light before she dropped it back in.

"Excuse me, can you help me?" she asked in her friendliest of voices.

With a serious of uncontrollable coughs the figure wrapped in blankets rolled over, revealing a man, who although white was definitely not Will LaMontange. "Hello Sir, my name is Emily and I'm looking for my friend Will. I traced his phone and it led me here."

The man who seemed indifferent to her presence up to that moment, recoiled slightly, leaning back further into the brick wall he lived against.

Emily hurried to put his mind at ease. "I'm just looking for my friend Sir, I'm not trying to get you in trouble. How did you happen to get the phone?

"T…that man, he gave it to me," he said, clearly more nervous than before.

From her phone, she pulled up a picture of Will alone. "Was this the man?" she wondered while under her mask of friendliness her rage seethed.

The man nodded, "That's the one," he drawled. "Came by, I knew him when he lived here, he was police and I gave him tips from time to time and he gave me cash for a place to stay. He said he wouldn't need it anymore, so I could have it."

Emily nodded because she didn't trust her voice to hide her sarcasm. When she finally felt it was safe she asked, "A few months ago right?"

"Yes ma'am, said he had no use for a DC phone now that he was back in NOLA."

"What about the bill?" she quizzed, knowing from Garcia's search that it was still going to JJ's house and being paid.

"He said that if his bitch of an ex-wife was ever home she could cancel it." As he said the words he seemed to sense where the conversation was going. "Since you're here, I figure you want the phone?"

Emily had come prepared for all scenarios, even bribery. Her family's wealth was rarely something she relied on or thought about, it purchased her condo in DC and her cars, but beyond that she lived on her salaries, be it FBI or Interpol. The money that came with her last name sat in investments and trusts, accruing interest until it was required. The night before, she withdrew ten thousand dollars and removed it in cash on the way to the airport. Nine thousand was in her go-bag locked in the car, but the remaining thousand sat deep in her jeans front pocket.

"What's your name?" she asked innocently.

"Tom," he answered, once again sounding anxious.

"Well Tom, how about a bargain?" she suggested. "I don't want to take that phone from you, I'd rather buy it from you and give you enough money to get your own."

She paused to let those words sink in and visible noticed when he understood. "Buy it?"

From her pocket, she pulled out the collection of bills and counted them out. "What do you think is fair Tom? $300?"

The profiler in her watched his eyes bug out but she hid it. She offered him the three hundred dollars and in record time he handed over the phone he'd been so reluctant to part with.

"Thank you Tom," she said truthfully. "Now you said Will used to pay you for information when he was a cop right?"

Tom nodded, aware of the money she was still holding. He was far more interested in the conversation now. "Is there any information about Will you call tell me, about the time he came by to give you the phone? About where he's staying or where I might find him now? Anything at all?"

"I don't know where he's staying," Tom admitted almost sadly, "but when he came by he wasn't alone."

"He wasn't?" she prodded gently.

"No, he had his girlfriend with him. She stayed at the mouth of the alley like she was afraid to come in. I mean for God's sake I'm homeless not rabid."

The two shared a chuckle before Prentiss asked, "You're certain it was his girlfriend?"

"Oh yeah," Tom said with certainty. "Will always bragged when he was getting laid. He said she was an upgrade over his last one, said at least she'd be waiting when he got home from work."

Inside she was so angry she could spit nails, or make use of the gun her Interpol badge and a few well-placed calls to the airport allowed her to travel with. Things were starting to come together, Will trip here was permanent and apparently he had a girlfriend, one he considered an upgrade over JJ, the damn idiot.

"What did this woman look like exactly, could you see?" Emily asked, struggling to keep her voice even.

"Tall, leggy, redhead, cute, with glasses, dressed real professional in a skirt and expensive shirt, didn't fit in around here that's for sure. Oh, and he called her Melissa!"

"He told you her name was Melissa?"

"No," he admitted with a laugh. "She was pissed it was taking so long, so she complained from her post at the end of the alley. He yelled back to her, 'Calm down Melissa I'm almost finished.'"

"You've got a hell of a memory Tom, I'll give you that," Emily said with a laugh.

"Will used to say the same thing."

"That particular skill of yours, is valuable," she told him. She handed him the last two hundred dollars as he seemed stunned by the turn of events. While he was counting his win-fall she pulled out the last five hundred from her pocket and rolled them into a less obvious shape, hiding them in the palm of her hand.

"Thank you so much Miss Emily, truly," he told her, a wide smile stretching the length of his worn face.

"Thank you Tom and I have only one more request…" she let her words hang in the air.

"Anything."

"Should you see Will, please don't mention that you saw me." In her mind she was already calculating ways to track down this Melissa girl, and Will, but she didn't know how long it would take, even with Garcia at her side, and she didn't want Will being tipped off.

"Of course not," he promised. He held out his hand to shake it and she gladly took it, slipping him the second five hundred dollars. By the time he realized what he was holding she had already turned and was moving up the alley. "Miss Emily, this is far too much. I can't accept this."

"Please accept it Tom and stay indoors tonight, get yourself a new phone and a hot meal or two… whatever else you need," she said without stopping. By the time she was about to turn from Tom's view she yelled back to him, "Believe me Tom, the intel I got from you was worth far more than I paid. I'm in your debt."

Once she was back in her car, Emily turned off the recorder and immediately dialed Garcia. With the car driving in no particular direction she filled Garcia in on what she'd learned. "Find a coffee shop!" Garcia commanded, "One with Wi-Fi." As she sought one out Garcia promised she could mine all the data from the phone, deleted or otherwise to find out who Will had been talking to, surely it shouldn't be too hard to find this Melissa woman.

"When did Will and the boys take this trip to New Orleans? When was the first time you ever heard of it?"

Keystrokes likely to hold the answers they needed, could be heard through the phone and Garcia gasped. "That bastard," she hissed.

"What Garcia? Fill me in," Emily prodded.

"It was about eight months ago or so, we had a case in Michigan, took two weeks to solve, it was brutal, but once we caught the guy, ten minutes with Rossi and Hotch and he gave it all up, I mean everything. He told us he had a partner he was talking to online from Tennessee, it was sort of a challenge or something. They'd share what they did, and the other guy would run out to try and 'outkill' him. It was horrible Emily, truly horrible, so exhausted as we were, the team went straight from Michigan to Tennessee to find the next guy. Which took another week, ten days or so if I remember right."

Emily had heard enough. "That must be when he left. JJ calls and says, 'Sorry this case is going to take another week,' he must've seen his window to get out with the boys without JJ being around to put up a fight."

Not long after she settled into an uncomfortable seat in a coffee shop Emily got the news that the team was working on a case in Miami, which if nothing else would allow Emily all the time she needed to finish her case and get back to DC with a present for JJ.

For four hours and three coffees, a bagel and a muffin the duo worked. In the end, there was only one Melissa who was a redhead and fit the bill. Melissa Mullins was a divorce attorney of all things, who worked out of DC until eight months ago when she abruptly left and relocated her practice to New Orleans. Since then, public records showed that she purchased a home, big enough for four just twenty miles from the address where Will grew up. It was too perfect not to be them.

Patiently she waited parked four houses down from Melissa's recently acquired home for hours. With plenty of time, she retrieved a scope from her bag in case she needed a closer look. Afterward she replayed Tom's conversation, growing more and more frustrated by the way Will described JJ each time she heard it. When something finally happened, she was glad she could skip ahead to an unused part of tape in preparation. First she witnessed a red SUV pull in and park in the driveway. Through the scope she saw a woman with a briefcase climb out. She looked every inch the lawyer, the expertly styled hair, red as Tom described, flawless completion, impeccably dressed in a black skirt, silver blouse and black pumps.

While the emotional part of her wanted to rush from the car with her gun and wring her scrawny neck, the wiser part of her knew better. She'd have to wait… the star of the show wasn't here yet.

It was more than an hour before another car, one she recognized pulled onto the street and drove past her. With the tinted windows she knew Will couldn't see her, but she could was able to confirm it was him as he passed and that was all she needed. By the time he was in the driveway she was out of her car and crossing the street, drawing her weapon from the holster she wore under her shirt, against the small of her back. She walked as quickly as she could without running so that she could meet Will before he got to the door, she reached him, from behind, less than five feet from the two cement steps. "Hello Will," she said calmly in his ear, as she shoved the barrel of her gun against his ribs.

"Emily?" he asked in a strange voice that was a meld of acknowledgement and surprise. It was as though he expected her to come eventually, but surely not today.

"I'm surprised you remember," she commented, nudging the gun harder into him, just to cause him discomfort. All too aware of the gun he was wearing she gave her first command. "Fold your hands in front of you, and don't do anything foolish." For a long instant, he didn't move, but he complied. "Good boy," she taunted as she kept her eyes looking over his shoulder at his hands and retrieved his gun. She slipped it into her waistband, before she used her foot to do a quick check of his ankles for a secondary holster, there wasn't one. "Alright Will, what do you say we go say hello to this missus."

With Will unarmed now, she let him lead, and followed behind, gun at the ready. She adjusted her shirt to hide Will's weapon, and before long they were all inside. Being the last one in, Emily made it a point to not only lock but chain the door as well, safety first.

Coming from what she assumed was the kitchen Melissa was speaking before she realized they had a guest. "Will, there you are, I was … Oh My God! What's going on here!" She took a step toward the phone.

Emily took control immediately. "Will sit on the sofa. Melissa sit down next to him, hands on your knees. Now before you get any bright ideas, you should know, any calls that leave this house between now, and when I make a call to my friend, will be routed to only one number mine, and that includes cell phones councilor."

While they did as they were ordered, Emily activated the recorder in her pocket. She was going to want this on tape.

"What do you want Emily?" Will asked harshly.

She laughed bitterly. "Oh I forget Will, you've been in a hostage situation before, you remember the bank, the night you proposed to JJ again, the day before your wedding. You can't handle me, and you can't play me, whatever training you've had, I've had more trust me. Now first things first, where are the boys?"

"They are spending the night with their Grandma," Will answered and internally Emily released a breath she'd been holding since she landed. They shouldn't have to see this.

Melissa finally found her voice. "You do realize your committing no shortage of felonies right? Brandishing a weapon, carrying a concealed weapon, kidnapping and confinement. Are you prepared to do twenty years in prison?"

Emily laughed gently. "Are you? That's exactly what you did when you took children across state lines without their mother's consent. Although, for all our sakes I truly hope you did it without the guns."

"Will was their legal guardian while JJ was out of town," Melissa pointed out. "He had a right to take them wherever he wanted."

"Oh yes, and then to give his phone to a homeless man in an alley states away from their mother so she would have no method to reach them, that sounds beyond reasonable." The couple on the couch locked eyes and Emily felt the need or perhaps the want to twist the knife a little deeper, focusing on the redhead she said, "Oh yes I know all about Tom and I happen to know that wasn't an exchange between two old friends, was it Melissa, you were there too." Emily enjoyed the look of surprise she saw on the lawyer's face.

"You don't know anything about me…" she started to say before she was interrupted by Emily's laugh, not a light laugh, but a whole-hearted belly laugh.

Turning to Will she shook her head as more laughter slipped out. "Eight months here, and God knows how many back in DC and you never thought to tell her about Garcia, even when you were plotting this grand scheme?" Turning back to Melissa. her laughter was gone and her voice cold. "I know exactly everything about you Melissa Mullins of Spokane. Born August 10th at 6:45AM. You are the oldest of two children. Your brother Sam has had a bit of trouble. He's currently doing a year for drug possession in Florida. That has to be embarrassing to your hardworking, blue collar parents Samuel and Marcy, don't you think? Guess even his big-wig DC lawyer of a sister couldn't get him out of that one huh?"

Will put a comforting hand on her leg as Melissa looked like she was fighting tears. "H…how?"

"Don't worry about how, that's the past. I'm far more worried about the future. The two of you stole a pair of children from their loving mother. I'm here…"

"Did JJ send you?" Will wondered, looking concerned at the prospect.

"JJ doesn't know I'm here, yet."

During their exchange the lawyer composed herself. "Loving mother? She was barely home. Gone for weeks at a time, what kind of life is that for a kid? The boys are better off here, with family!"

"Watch your mouth!" Emily demanded. "JJ is the best mother I know or have ever seen. As for family? You've been around long enough for them to remember your name, little more so I wouldn't go around throwing judgements. JJ's a federal agent who leaves home to saves lives, who protects people like your hardworking parents who might just live next to a sociopath or maybe it'll be your Uncle in Vegas who might run across a serial killer on his way to his nightshift at the Bellagio. Chances are you can look at your family tree, and on one branch or another you can find someone who was helped, directly or indirectly by someone the BAU saved. I will not let your ignorant ass sit there and disparage the work they do, because you've heard half a story."

"What's your plan here Emily?" Will asked, trying to get things back on track.

"If it were up to me, I'd pull out documents that sign away all your parental rights, I'd put them in front of you right now and at gunpoint or otherwise I'd have you sign them." She heard a feminine gasp from nearby but she ignored it, never looking away from Will. "But regardless of what I think, you are Henry and Michael's father and therefore it's JJ decision whether you have any role in their life. I'm here to return those boys to their home, to their mother, where they belong. You are welcome to join us if you like, but we are leaving here tonight."

"Tonight!" Melissa erupted, standing from her seat. "You can't be serious. I can make a phone call and have you arrested, I can file an emergency injunction to ensure the boys stay with us where they belong. We aren't letting those boys leave with any friend of JJ's who just happens to show up." Beside her Emily noticed Will wince at his girlfriend's words.

Emily smiled warmly, but it was eerily false and everyone knew it. "Sit down. Since Will didn't tell you about Garcia, I suspect he didn't tell you much about me, did he?" The girl startled by Emily's calm shook her head before she glanced at Will who expertly avoided her eye. Once she was seated Emily continued. "Good now let's compare resumes, shall we? Long before I ever met Will and JJ I worked for a clandestine agency within Interpol that hunted terrorists, I was undercover and lived with terrorists for weeks, months and in one case, even years. After that I left Interpol for America and took a job with the FBI, eventually I ended up in the BAU where I met JJ and later Will. We were friends. When Henry was born, I held the baby before Will here did, and despite my time away, both those angels still call me Auntie Emmy when they see me on FaceTime or hear my voice on the phone. Now I presently work for Interpol leading my own division."

Reaching into her pocket she pulled out her credentials, both FBI and Interpol and laid them on the small coffee table between where she was standing, making them easy to see. She noticed the couple sharing loaded looks. "Will…"

Emily wasn't the least bit interested in their dispute so she ended it before it got started. "If that wasn't enough leverage to ensure I could return the boys where they belong, perhaps this will be. I don't know if you picked up on it there, but my last name is Prentiss." She allowed time for it to sink and for once she didn't mind the shock her name invoked. "Yes, that Prentiss. My mother is Ambassador Prentiss and she is very fond of JJ and her boys, while she forgets my birthday regularly she makes it a point to send those boys a gift or at the very least a check so I can pick them up something on her behalf. So now Miss Mullins, ask yourself, those friends you intended to call, will they be a match for Ambassador Prentiss, Interpol, the FBI and our team of lawyers?"

Emily stepped back slightly, allowing the couple to talk in whispers about what they should do. It took less than thirty minutes for them to reach a decision. The lawyer spoke for the duo while Will avoided Emily's furious eyes. "We will be looking into full-time custody, but given the current circumstances we aren't opposed to allowing you to return them to DC until the details are finalized, provided they will be well cared for if and when JJ's work requires her to be out of town."

"They have always been well cared for when JJ has been out of town, that was never in dispute," she said with a hard glare toward Will. "But if that is the primary issue I give you my word, I'll care for them myself, if that's what it takes." She passed Melissa one of her rare cards that included personal contact information in addition to her work numbers. "You can reach me here anytime, day or night. If you'd like to leave me your _new_ information, I`d be happy to have someone contact you when we return to DC, whether it be JJ or myself."

Melissa's entire demeanor seemed soften. "We'd appreciate that, thank you. And also, may I say, you've provided me with a lot of new information…"

"That's between the two of you," Emily reminded her. My only interest here is those children. So why doesn't one of you go back up the things they'll need for the trip, including that Panda Bear Henry can't live without and the Lion Michael chews on in his sleep, while the other goes and gets the boys from their grandparents. Apologize their sleepover has been cut short."

Will seemed all too happy to escape, and it was only after they were alone that Melissa spoke again. "You really do know the boys well, don't you? I bought them new toys a while back, and tucked them in that night, adding them beside the Panda and Lion respectively but they wouldn't have it. They said there wasn't enough room, when clearly there was plenty. The meaning behind those gifts must be special." Emily blushed feeling oddly shy, and Melissa understood. "They were from you." It was far more a statement than a question.

The Interpol agent nodded. "Years ago, after a case, for my safety and the team's safety I had to pretend to be dead. Only JJ and our supervisor knew the truth, but everyone else believe I was dead for nearly a year. I sent Henry the Panda during that time, and Michael got the Lion a short while after his birth. I never dreamed they'd get so attached but each time I talked to JJ she'd take me into their room, and turn the camera so I could see them sleeping with the gifts I'd given, I'm not sure I've ever felt more loved."

"They do love them," Melissa agreed. Seconds later she disappeared upstairs to begin packing and Emily took the opportunity to holster her gun and call Garcia, turning off the recorder at the same time.

She answered only half a ring. "Clearly our definitions of 'call back quickly' vary greatly Agent Prentiss.

"Hopefully the news I have will help you to forgive me," Emily added quickly in an attempt to appease her friend.

"You have good news then?" she asked, eager and even through the phone the brunette could picture her bouncing in her chair.

"We'll be needing all three of the seats we tentatively booked for the trip home, it won't just be me tonight."

"Three!" she screeched. "You did it! You really did it!"

After she gave Garcia a moment to calm down, she spoke softly, hoping the technician would follow her lead. "You doubted me? I wasn't leaving here without them."

"Oh JJ is going to be so thrilled. She'll love you more than she already does."

This thought made Emily smile. "Is the team still in Miami?"

"For the time being. They ID'd the Unsub not an hour ago and I sent them the address, so they should be kicking in doors anytime now and I expect the call from them saying they are back at Miami PD soon. With any luck, they'll be on their way back tonight, and you'll arrive first, but not by much."

"Good, I'll take the boys out for dinner and hopefully we can meet back at the office."

"You don't want JJ to meet you and the boys at her place?"

Emily's answer was immediate. "I don't want JJ to miss one more second with her boys than she already has. I suspect it'll be an emotional reunion, so I'll wait until the rest of the team has left, and then the boys and I will meet JJ and we can all go back to JJ's place together."

"Makes sense," Garcia quickly agreed. "I'll do my part to rush the others out and then I'll text you."

"Sounds perfect," Emily predicted.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, you are remarkably sweet Emily Prentiss."

Recalling something similar that JJ said to Garcia after she killed the man who shot him, she said, "This is what we do for family."

The catch in Garcia's voice was proof she remembered. "I'll take care everything on this end and call you if anything changes."

"Penelope Garcia you are a goddess."

"Its true," she agreed with a giggle before she hung up.

Emily was alone in the room only a minute before Melissa came down the steps carrying two cartoon themed bags. Emily met her at the foot of the stairs and took them. "I think I got everything."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," she said in her kindest voice. She held the woman at gun point it was a little difficult to undo that with simple warm words. She was setting the bags just inside the door for later, when suddenly the doors swung open and two little men came racing in. Emily dropped the bags and sank to their level, the boys froze mid-step as if expecting one thing and finding another. "Auntie Em," Henry shouted, while Michael settled for a far less refined 'Emmy!' Both boys rushed into her waiting arms, Michael's steps wobbling and unsteady as he tried to follow his brother. When they were close enough, Emily pulled them both into a hug and squeezed them as tight as she'd dare.

Picking up one boy in each arm she carried them deeper into the house to allow Will entry. She set them down on the couch. "What are you doing here?" Henry asked, are you visiting too?"

That question caused Emily to throw a hard look at Will which he avoided. The boys still thought they were visiting and he never had any intention of taking them back. "Actually buddy I'm here to take you home to your Mommy, she missed you so much she can't wait another day to see you."

Both sets of eyes lit up at the mention of their mother and sensing something she would hate coming next she turned on the recorder in her pocket. "Mommy's not sick anymore?"

She had to swallow down a mouthful of bile to keep from vomiting. "You know I've been far away in London right buddy?" he nodded vigorously to confirm he knew. "So I don't know everything you know about what's been going on, is your Mommy sick?"

"Daddy said she was sick and that he couldn't take care of us alone, so we came to visit Grandpa and Grandma."

Emily looked over the little boy's head and pinned Will with a death-glare. "Is that so?"

"Uh-huh," he answered with another nod.

"Well your Mom is all better and she can't wait to see you, so we are going to take an airplane and go see her as soon as we can." The boys were so pleased at the prospect of seeing their mother, the adults watched as they hugged each other and whispered about seeing their mom again.

Emily went out to pack her rental car, and slipped her gun into the glovebox where it would be safe for the ride to the airport. She'd left Will's on a table in the kitchen while Melissa was packing. Next to her, working wordlessly Will transferred the car seats that he'd stolen from JJ when he left, into the rental and they both went back inside. Emily stood near the door while the boys said their goodbyes to both Will and Melissa.

When everyone was situated in the car, Emily drove them away from the home they'd known for months. Watching through the rear-view mirror the boys didn't seem the least bit upset about leaving. She chatted happily with them about all the things they'd do when they got back home, but the conversation always quickly returned to their mother and how she was doing. The two sweet boys they were, were gravely concerned for their mother's health. Like mother, like sons.

R-C

Author's Note: I'm sorry it took me a bit longer than I expected to get this chapter out. Side effects from the surgery are making it difficult. I hope there aren't too many mistakes in this chapter, but if there are, please let me know so I can correct them. Now that I'm back home and spending most of my time in bed, I hope to be able to write and post frequently. I can't guarantee a specific schedule but I will post as often as I can, and I promise this fic will be finished. I hope you'll all stick around.

Thank you to all those who commented, followed and reviewed.

Take Care

R-C


	5. Chapter 5

Authors Note: Anything you like or recognize belongs to someone else.

R-C

Garcia met the team at the elevator. "Short cases are cause for celebration," she declared with confidence. "First round is on me."

"Can't," Alvez complained after a sigh. "I need to go home and check on Roxy."

"Actually," Garcia said smugly, "I spoke to the owner of a lovely little hole in the wall not too far from here and we agreed that a FBI-trained K-9 would be a delightful addition to their clientele. You can bring Roxy along," she exclaimed, while watching Alvez's eyes. When he didn't immediately seem pleased she couldn't hold her tongue. "If you want to bring Roxy I mean, you can, that's what the owner said."

All eyes were on Alvez and he held his gruff exterior just long enough to maintain his self-respect before his mask cracked. "Well, if that's the case Roxy and I will happily join you. You did say you were buying the first round, right?"

She rolled her eyes in response to his teasing and tried to pretend that she wasn't biting her tongue to remain silent. Although she was loathed to admit it, Garcia found it significantly harder to hate Alvez after she learned the truth about Roxy. That bundle of highly trained, adorable fur was difficult to dislike, even if she'd always been more of a cat person.

The others quickly agreed and Penelope noticed JJ was silent at the back of the group. Her eyes were down, her foot tapping impatiently, while she searched for a reason to decline. Garcia could practically see the wheels turning, crafting an excuse to avoid a social gathering that would include uncomfortable questions. It was an excuse Garcia knew her friend wouldn't need. Putting a hand on JJ's shoulder, she spoke privately to the blonde. "Sorry Kitten, you aren't invited. I believe Emily has plans for you tonight that begin in about five minutes. She said she'd meet you in your office."

JJ looked half awed, half annoyed. "Really?"

"Really, and I wouldn't worry too much, Emily really outdid herself this time." As the next elevator arrived the others slipped in.

Once the doors closed and they were alone the team wanted details. "Emily really got JJ to open up?" Rossi questioned.

Garcia, in the midst of a text to Emily nodded. "Yep, they went to dinner last night and tonight she's bringing back what JJ needs most, her boys."

"Aren't they in New Orleans with Will on vacation?" Hotch wondered.

"Not anymore and according to Emily, it was more of a permanent, one parent stealing the children from another, type of thing and far less vacation-y. She went down there this morning and found Will, now she's waiting in JJ's office for the reunion."

"That's great!" Reid said, thrilled at the prospect of getting to spend time with his godson again.

"I wouldn't want to be Emily when JJ figures out she did all this without asking," Rossi commented as the elevator stopped.

With a light chuckle the newest member shook his head. "Come on, JJ can't be that bad," Alvez laughed, quickly stopping when none of the others joined in. "If Emily really, brought home JJ's kids do you seriously think she'll still be pissed?"

The team spread out, each moving toward a vehicle of their own. "If Emily went and did the one thing JJ asked her not to do, I suspect even with the boys Emily will be in for a frigid reception," Reid guessed.

Three parking spaces down from where Rossi and Hotch were talking, Alvez threw his bag into the back seat. "I just can't see it, sweet little JJ being all fire and brimstone."

Rossi and Hotch shared a look and this time even Hotch chuckled along. "Next time we see JJ lose her temper I'm going to remind you of this conversation," Rossi promised.

With his eyes turning to Hotch, Alvez gave the boss a serious look. "She's that bad?"

"She's worse."

R-C

On the walk from the elevator JJ stopped to pick up a few files from the corner of Reid's desk. She'd promised to review them and would, as soon as she dealt with Emily and whatever surprise was allegedly waiting for her. Garcia's mood, so obviously excited while remaining purposefully vague, set JJ on edge. What could she be so excited about? This wasn't the first time she and Emily had dinner together, nor was it the first time they met in her office, but for reasons she didn't understand, this time felt different. JJ couldn't deny she felt better since having dinner with Emily and she was devastated when she thought the brunette went back to London without a repeat, but even after acknowledging that, the excitement she wanted to feel wasn't there. She felt hollow.

Halfway up the steps as she rearranged the files in her arms her cell phone vibrated against her thigh. She stopped walking and moved the files to her left arm so she could read it the message.

 _If you don't get in here soon, I'm going to have a mutiny on my hands. Garcia gave us a camera feed so we can see you coming_.

She looked up from the phone and into the nearest camera. She waved, not sure exactly who or what beyond Emily she was waving at. Her mind racked for information. Was it David, Emily's friend she'd gone to see? Why would he care about her? It didn't make sense, but nothing about this did. Again, her phone buzzed so she looked down.

 _They are pleased but still anxious to see you, so I'm opening the door in ten seconds. If you're not in here by then you can try and wrangle them in the hall._

With one more look to the camera JJ laughed at Emily's antics and hurried the remainder of the way to her office. She arrived just in time apparently because she heard muffled voices that sounded a lot like, 'Let us out!' As far as JJ could tell, Emily was holding court at the door, and was counting, loudly in a voice that could be heard clearly from where she stood. It felt strange knocking on her own office door but she did and waited with a general sense of unease to see what was going on inside.

After the knock, JJ could swear she heard Emily say something, but she couldn't make out the words. JJ had a newfound sympathy for anyone who had ever tried to eavesdrop through her door, it was harder than it looked.

When the door opened and JJ crossed the threshold she couldn't help it, she dropped the files carelessly. There was a disconnect of some kind between her brain and her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. JJ blinked hard again and again hoping to reset her delusion but it never changed.

There, just steps behind a casually dressed Emily in her tight black jeans and simple V-neck, were her two favorite men. Henry looked both taller and older, where he stood holding his brother's hand, his eyes swaying from Michael to his mother and back.

Suddenly her legs didn't feel strong enough to hold her up. She sank to the carpet faster than she thought possible, but was caught by a pair of strong arms that carefully lowered both adults to their knees on the floor. "They are safe and they missed their mother," Emily whispered, although JJ could barely hear over the sounds of her sobs.

Hearing Emily's voice, feeling the grip of her arms, JJ was reminded of the other woman and all she must have done to make this happen. Never in her life had JJ ever felt so conflicted. On one side, she was furious at Emily for doing exactly what she asked her not to. On the other, each time she blinked, she was shocked her sons were still there for her to see with her own eyes. Angry as she was, the mother in JJ won out and she decided to enjoy her boys for now. The mess could be cleaned up later. Emily, Will, Garcia, the team and everyone else, could wait until later. Right now, she just wanted to spend time with her boys.

Emily who was now sitting back on her heels next to JJ, watching her eyes, could obviously see where JJ's thoughts had gone. "Listen Jayje, I know you said…"

She raised a hand between them and locked her blue eyes with Emily's brown ones. "Not now. Not now."

Nodding stiffly Emily stood up and waved the boys forward. "Come on boys, bring your art work and come show your mom how much you missed her."

The two children who had waited long enough needed no further encouragement. In a dash both boys started toward their mother only briefly before JJ was off her knees and scooping them up in her arms.

The tears restarted in force as JJ carried her children to the couch and set them down, one boy on each side of her. While Michael settled for kissing and hugging his mother, Henry squeezed into her other side, and peppered her with questions. "Are you feeling better? Daddy told us you were very sick."

JJ ignored all the parts of the question she didn't want to deal with, choosing instead to focus on the fact that she had her sons back, however briefly and she was going to enjoy it. She'd have to deal with Will, and the team, and now Emily too, but all of that could wait. For tonight at least, she was a mother again, and JJ was going to make the most of it. "I'm perfect," she promised him as she kissed his forehead, nose, and each cheek before finally shifting to his lips. "I have my boys back and I missed you so much. I left your rooms exactly the same, so you'll know where all your toys are, and I promise I'll make you your favorite dinners as soon as we get home."

Near the door Emily tried to speak up, but the child was quicker since he didn't need to worry about censoring his words. "Auntie Emily took us to that place with pizza and videogames."

Mention of Emily reminded JJ of exactly how far the agent had crossed the line by seeking out Will and the boys without her permission, but JJ swallowed her anger and focused on the children. With a laugh that was only somewhat forced she ruffled her elder son's hair. "That sounds great buddy, you love that place." His nods confirmed it, which she could feel because he refused to be separated from her even slightly. He was nuzzling up to her like a kitten and it made her laugh. Looking to Emily only intensified her laugh. Her usually unflappable friend was blushing. Turning to the munchkin cuddled to her on the right, JJ tickled him until he squealed and then asked, "Did you get pizza and videogames too?"

"Ate zza," he told his mother while he smiled up at her happily. She returned his smile and helped him sit up again so they could cuddle together as a family. Once he was upright she placed a kiss on the mess of hair and shivered. She never thought she'd get to experience moments like this again. Begrudgingly she had to admit that this moment, in all its perfection wouldn't have happened without Emily.

JJ listened happily to every word from each of her boys, their favorite videogames, their highest scores and of course what toppings they like on their pizza this week. Emily stayed quiet near the door and JJ did her best to forget she was there, but that was difficult when Henry and his brother mentioned their favorite Aunt every few minutes.

It felt wrong for Emily to be so removed from the conversation. It was only because of her that JJ was getting any time with the boys at all. Once more those twisted, confusing emotions knotted her stomach and her only response was tighten her hold on her sons. How exactly was she supposed to feel? Betrayed, embarrassed, grateful, lucky, all of the above?

Across the office Emily looked equally uncomfortable, so JJ pushed down her feelings and hid behind the smile she saved for the media. "Anything to say about Henry's accounting of dinner?" JJ asking, trying to include Emily in the conversation.

"Actually," she confessed while looking down, "from what I heard the little guy's account seemed very accurate. Our flight got in earlier than expected and since I knew you guys were flying back from a case I thought we should meet here. After being cooped up on the plane I thought the boys should get out and stretch a bit, so we went for a walk in the park and then to dinner, as you heard," she answered in a rush that was not typical of Emily Prentiss.

That alone was enough to reignite the conversation between Henry, Michael and their mother about dinner and how great it had been. Even as the stories and information became repetitive JJ didn't mind listening one bit. One by one the stories slipped out, how Emily had allowed each boy to pick his own toppings for his own pizza, how Emily gave them tickets for videogames and when the tickets ran out, she produced more and sent the brothers to have more fun. She shot basketballs with Henry and played Whack-A-Mole with Michael and again JJ was struck by how much Emily must care to leave London for her, to travel to New Orleans and bring back the kids for her. The more she listened the harder it was for her anger to stay in place.

They stayed like that mother and sons until Emily's ringing phone alerted them all. Emily pushed off the wall near the door and fished her cell from her jeans. She answered the call, so it wouldn't go to voicemail and then covered the mouthpiece. "Boys while I'm gone why don't you show your mom the pictures you made for her on the way home."

All the sudden the boys remembered their artworks and were on their feet, leaving JJ alone. She got up slowly and followed after them. As soon as she was in reach, Michael was holding out a piece of paper, it reminded JJ of hotel stationary.

Unfolding the page, she could see the childish drawing inside. It appeared to be four people standing together hand in hand, with a sun and what she could only assume was the ocean in the background, although without sand it might have been the sky. JJ did notice that in the top corner of the page the blue was even and smooth, the exact opposite of Michael's method of coloring. He usually frantically colored in any direction, as if it were a race to cover up any exposed white from the paper. Her mind quickly conjured up the image of Emily and Michael sitting together, huddled over the same piece of paper, crayons in hand. The thought made her smile, and her anger at Emily for invading her privacy, faded a little more.

She kissed Michael in thanks and told him how beautiful it was. She promised she'd put the picture in her office where she could see it all the time. During another hug, he began to mumble against her shoulder. It took a few moments but she deciphered enough to understand he loved her. What more could a mother want to hear? "I love you too munchkin, more than you'll ever know. I even have some new bedtime stories to tell you.

When she reached for the next picture she was surprised to have Henry stop her. "First we have to show you the one we made together, on the plane."

"Okay?" she said a little unsure. There had never been rules for these kinds of things before, but who was she to decide? If he wanted to do it in order, they would. Henry moved around her with a large sheet behind his back. She soon realized it wasn't one page but several smaller pages, tapes together. The boys whispered together and moved to stand a few feet in front of their mother. Henry held one end of the banner while Michael tried to keep hold of the other. When Henry told him, Michael did his part and turned the banner, before Henry quickly flipped his half. When it was done it said 'Welcome Home Mom!'

JJ adored it immediately and rushed to hug her boys, before they could even release the banner. "I love it, you know you are the best sons any mother could ask for. I'm going to hang this up at home, so I can always remember what it felt like today to see you again."

After that the remainder of the time passed far too quickly for JJ's liking. She collected quite a few pieces of art to add to her collection and listened while the boys happily told her everything they'd seen in New Orleans. By all accounts they'd had a good time with their father and their grandparents.

On the other side of the door she could see Emily pacing casually, no longer holding her phone or looking bothered. "I think someone wants back in," JJ said to her sons. She even lifted Michael up to the window so he could see what Henry was seeing.

"Auntie Em!" he clapped gleefully.

"Why don't you boys go get her and thank her for taking such care of you huh?" JJ suggested. The boys nodded in agreement but before he left Henry passed his final drawing for JJ to see. She took it, ruffled his hair and sent him out into the hall after his brother.

Alone she turned her attention to the drawing which appeared to be blue construction paper folded into a card. Her sons writing had improved greatly in the last year, it was obvious he'd even begun learning cursive in school. The front of the card said, "I've missed you so much!" Seeing that brought fresh to her eyes but she blinked most of them away and opened the card. If she was hoping for a respite she didn't find it. Inside her son had written. "Thank you for sending Aunt Emily to get us. We missed you. Love Henry and Michael"

Not wanting to embarrass Henry by allowing others to see something so personal, JJ put the card on her desk, under the others. She knew her son, and somehow he got so much of Spence in him. He wouldn't want anyone else to see that card, that's why he waited until last and why he handed it to her when she was alone.

JJ went out into the hall. She found one boy connected to each of Emily's hands, trying to pull her back to the office, while Emily struggled. "And just what is going on out here?" she wondered, falling back into her 'mother-tone' like a pro.

"Mom, she doesn't want to go, she says it's family time."

The adults locked eyes and Emily silently asked for help. With a little nod JJ approached the trio, but Henry had something else in mind. He had let go of her hand and was now standing between Emily and JJ. "You both seen Mike's picture right, the one he drew?" When they both nodded, he asked, "How many people he drew did you see that?" JJ squatted down and tried to catch her son's eye, but he was staring through her, too focused on what he was trying to tell them. "Who were they?"

Emily tried first. "You, your brother, your mom and your dad."

When it was JJ's turn, she was concerned by her son's increasing anger. "It was our family buddy, you, me, Michael and your dad."

As soon as the last word was out, he was shouting. "No," and next to Emily Michael was in tears. She immediately sank down to comfort him while JJ closed the distance to Henry.

Since the older boy was more communicative she turned to him for answers. Nearby Emily worked to calm Michael while JJ hugged her older boy. She whispered in his ear, "I loved my card and I'll put it where I'll never lose it. I missed you both so much but I don't understand why Michael's upset and I need you to help me understand, okay buddy?"

Henry pulled back just enough to see his mother's face. She like her youngest son was crying too. He dried her eyes as his mother often did for him. "It wasn't dad," he told her in a quiet voice. "It was Aunt Emily, she is already family, I tried to tell her."

JJ was awestruck. Obviously, the boys heard more of her fights with Will than she wanted to admit. All those times she claimed she couldn't leave because the team was family, they'd not only heard it, but understood. It was one more time when JJ wasn't sure how to feel, she was proud of her sons, but far too worried to properly enjoy it.

"You're a great brother and an amazing son Henry, I love you very much."

Looking over they saw Emily carrying a much happier Michael on her hip. "What do you say we get outta here?" JJ suggested. She went back to close the door without looking inside. Whatever was in there could wait. "I'll ask Garcia to pick up the files I dropped all over the place on my way in."

"Oh I did that while you were all catching up, I set them on the corner of your desk," Emily corrected. "How about I give you a lift to your place since I have your car seats in my rental and I'll come back for it later?" she offered.

JJ nodded. She wasn't nearly as angry as she had been when she first realized what Emily had done, but she also wasn't ready to just forgive and move on either. They needed to talk about it, and with every second that conversation was inching closer. A nagging voice in the back of her head reminded her she could avoid the problem until Emily returned to London, but instead of making JJ feel better, the potential of leaving this unresolved had her feeling worse. If she didn't hash this out with Emily now it would likely poison whatever was left of their friendship.

The drive was quiet. Henry would occasionally sing along with the radio, or ask a random question but Michael was sleeping and neither JJ nor Emily knew what to say.

"Want help carrying them in?" Emily asked as they got out in the driveway.

JJ gave her a large smile. "Actually I've kind of missed this sorta thing. I'll do it, you go in and make yourself at home. I'll be down when they're asleep and we can talk then."

R-C

Emily wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. She stood in the dining room and set the recorder she'd used on the table, rewinding it back to the beginning so JJ could hear it all.

She listened to the sounds of JJ carrying first Michael, then Henry up to bed and tucking them in. Picturing it in her mind she knew she'd done the right thing. Even if JJ was mad, Emily couldn't regret what she'd done. She'd returned two boys to their mother, where they belong. Any price she had to pay for that, no matter how high, would be worthwhile.

She was so lost in thought that she hadn't heard JJ coming back downstairs. "So I guess there was no meeting with your friend from school?"

Startled, Emily spun around and looked JJ in the eye as she confessed. "No there wasn't. I was worried about you, so I went to find Will and get some answers. I had no idea what I'd find, and I wasn't expecting to bring the boys back, at least not at first. Once I realized it was more than a vacation though…"

"You did exactly what I asked you not to! I asked you to stay out of it, and you promised you wouldn't push me!" JJ reminded her. With a dramatic wave of her hands she closed her fists and then her eyes. "Damn it Emily, did you ever consider that if I wanted to find Will and the kids, I would've?"

Stunned wasn't a strong enough word to describe what Emily was feeling. Her mouth opened more than once to speak but no words came out. "W…what? You knew where they were?"

She shook her head and finally opened her eyes. Emily could see the heavy burden of sadness there. "Will wanted to go back to New Orleans from the day he moved to D.C. It wasn't hard to figure out where he'd go, especially with two kids to raise."

"So why didn't you go after him?"

She threw her hands up again and the sadness shifted to fury. "And say what? 'Nothing is changing but come back anyway?' I'm not leaving the BAU, I'm not leaving D.C. and Will doesn't want to stay. We've been having the same fight for years, this time it just boiled over."

JJ looked on the verge of tears and normally Emily would go to her, console her, but this time she didn't move. This time all she felt was anger of her own. "So you let him just take your kids from you, ditch his phone and disappear?" Emily just couldn't believe JJ would allow anyone, even Will to do that to her, or her family.

Silent tears streaked down JJ's face as she answered. "When I first got home I was terrified. I tried calling Will, I thought about calling Garcia, Hotch, the team, the local police, I wanted everybody looking for my sons."

As JJ stopped her story to wipe her eyes and clean her face Emily cleared her throat. "Why didn't you?"

"I found the note," she said weakly. Emily watched as her eyes glazed over and JJ was taken into her memories, reliving it. Her expressive features made it painful for Emily to witness. "He left a note saying that we couldn't keep going on this way, he was taking the boys some place where they could grow up properly, with a mother who was home every night for dinner and to tuck them into bed. He said I cared more about my job than my family and he was tired of being the bad guy for wanting me to leave."

Although the note lined up with everything she'd already learned Emily was still enraged. She wanted to go back to New Orleans just to hit Will a few times, and maybe Melissa too if she had any part in writing such a cruel note to JJ.

"Come on Jayje, you know…"

"He's right!" she confessed in a strangled sob while her crying intensified.

This time Emily didn't wait she went to her and pulled JJ into a hug. Although JJ didn't hug her back, Emily didn't mind. "He's not right," she whispered.

"I'm always gone," JJ mumbled into Emily's chest. "I missed Henry's play and a meeting with the other parents from Michael's playgroup. My boys deserve better…"

JJ kept talking but Emily had stopped listening. Running her fingers through the silky blonde hair she held her friend. "You are the best mother I've ever seen. I know a thing or two about bad mothers and you Jennifer, don't even come close."

The hug ended and both women took a seat at the dining room table. "I took Will for granted," JJ admitted casually. "Looking back, it's a wonder he stuck around as long as he did."

"JJ just because your job keeps you away sometimes, doesn't mean you're a bad mother. Your sons know you are gone so you can protect other people from monsters. You are their hero, trust me, I heard all their opinions on the flight home."

"But I always put my job first…"

"You make the best decisions you can, and from what I've seen you're far better at it than most."

JJ graced her with a brief but real smile. "You have to say that, you're my friend."

Emily held out a hand, but JJ didn't take it, proving she was still upset that Emily got involved at all. "I'm not going to lie to you," she said simply, "the boys seemed happy in New Orleans, they had a nice house, toys, Will and …" Emily stopped short unsure if JJ knew about Will's affair.

"They had Will and Melissa, and I bet she was home at a decent hour every night," JJ said with no shortage of contempt in her voice.

"Yes," Emily agreed. "The boys had Will, and Melissa and toys and a new house and the moment they saw me and realized they were going to get to see you, they couldn't get out of there fast enough. I'm telling you Jayje, the boys have been waiting for today just as intently as you have."

The room was quiet for well over five minutes before Emily dared to dip her toe back in the water. "So you knew about Will and Melissa?"

With a humorless laugh JJ shook her head. "I came home early from a case. The Unsub was living in a garbage dump, so naturally we all smelled horrible. All I wanted was a shower and maybe a nap before I had to pick up the boys from school and daycare, but instead I walked in on Will and Melissa having sex in our bed."

"Good Lord Jayje I'm sorry."

"Please, no more pity, it's bad enough you know what happened."

This time when Emily reached out for JJ's hand, she got it. "It's not pity Jayje, not even a little bit. What you went through, finding out that way, Will being so rude and cruel about everything. You deserve better than that, especially from him."

"I can't believe I'll have to call him up and ask for his help, after everything he did," JJ commented after another long period of quiet.

Emily bolted up from her chair. "What? Why in the world would you call Will now? I told him that if I had my way he'd never see the boys again, but since it was up to you, he'd have to deal with you, and a judge if he wanted custody."

JJ stood from her seat just as suddenly as Emily had. Her hands combed through her messy hair and she scrubbed her face with her palms. "Damn it, why would you do that Emily?"

The answer was obvious, wasn't it? She'd done it to protect JJ, to scare Will and to ensure the boys wouldn't be kidnapped again the next time JJ left the state. "I didn't want him to think he could come in here next time you had a case and steal the boys away again."

With a groan of frustration JJ slammed her fist down on the table. "That's great Emily, real great, but when Hotch calls us in a few days, or a few hours for the next case, what do you think I should do with my kids? Will isn't here to watch them anymore. I have to call Will and make a deal, because there is nobody else I can leave them with."

Her brain hadn't considered the consequences of the words that were passing her lips, but they were out before she could stop them and they surprised Emily and JJ in equal measure. "I could do it."

Just as it had done in her office, Emily watched the anger in JJ's eyes fade slightly, slipping to the background. "Emily," she said in a stern voice. "You can't…"

"I can," Emily corrected. "I can. I know you're upset with me right now, and that's fine, you don't have to like me, we don't have to be friends, but you can trust me with your family Jennifer, I promise."

JJ's expression softened further. "Emily, I may be upset with you for the secrets you kept and the things you did, but I understand why you did them and you are the only reason my sons are sleeping upstairs tonight. Even if I can't show it now, I am grateful and of course I trust you, that will never change, no matter how upset I get."

Emily could feel a smile lighting her face. "Then let me help Jen, at least until you can find another solution."

"What about London?"

"What about it?" Emily wondered. "It will still be there when I'm ready to go back." In the privacy of her mind Emily added, 'if I'm ever ready to go back," but she'd keep that to herself for now.

R-C

Author's Note: I hope this one was worth the wait. I struggled with JJ's reaction to getting her sons back and how angry she'd be with Emily, so it took a little trial and error. This is the third version of the chapter I finished and the only one I liked enough to post. In the end, I figured JJ's stubborn independence wouldn't be stronger than her urge to be a mother, so I toned down the anger, but don't worry it is still there.

Thank You for reading.

Russell Craig


	6. Chapter 6

Twelve days, twelve glorious days with her children, JJ was ecstatic. When Hotch heard the details of what she'd been going through, likely from Garcia, he called and insisted she take some of her accrued vacation time. Normally JJ wouldn't want to be away from the team without a life-threatening reason, but this time Hotch barely had to twist her arm.

Since Emily brought her boys home JJ had made it a point to do all the things she missed doing with them over the last few months. They went to an afternoon showing of the latest animated movie. Henry loved it while his brother spent more time chewing on popcorn and his 3D glasses than watching the movie itself.

After that they played soccer in the park, a trio of laughing, running and cheering blondes as they raced after the ball. Each night she'd been letting the boys decide what they wanted for dinner, but now they were running out of favorites and their choices were beginning to become repetitive.

Quickly JJ's world began to right itself. She was still sleeping on the couch, too furious at Will to look at the bed they shared, let alone rest in it, but beyond that she was making progress. The bags under her eyes had dulled, and her time outside running with her sons helped bring much needed color to her pale skin. With each day, she felt more like the JJ she'd been before Will disappeared.

When the team arrived for a visit, near the end of the first week, JJ found herself glad to see them. She cheerfully introduced her children to both Alvez and Lewis and Alvez introduced the boys to Roxy in turn. For the remainder of the afternoon JJ rarely saw her kids as they raced around the yard with Roxy and sometimes even Alvez in tow.

JJ felt a stab of disappointment when she realized Emily hadn't come along with the others. She hadn't seen the Interpol agent since the night she brought Henry and Michael home. That night Emily had offered to stay in D.C. and watch the boys until JJ found a nanny. Although the sentiment was nice, things between them still felt tense and the tension made JJ anxious. Now that she was feeling more like herself she hoped they'd be able to get past this and go back to being close friends, but in her gut there was no shortage of doubt.

As she always did Garcia stayed longer than the others, and the two friends huddled on the couch together once the children were in bed.

"So how mad at me are you?" Garcia wondered.

With a smile JJ shook her head. "I'm annoyed that you did what I explicitly asked you not to, but you know better than anyone I can't stay mad at you for long Penelope."

In her seat the technician sat up a little straighter and smiled a little wider. "And Emily?" Garcia treaded lightly. "She really came through this time huh?"

Instinctively JJ's blue eyes darted to the staircase, looking in the direction of her sons. They wouldn't be there now if not for Emily. With Garcia's words rolling around in her head JJ spoke the truth, a truth she hadn't said out loud yet. "She did. She's giving up everything to help out until I can get things arranged."

Garcia nudged her with a playful elbow. "Sounds like a good friend to me."

JJ rolled her eyes at her exuberant friend's transparent attempt to smooth things over. "I know Garcia. She's a great friend and I'm grateful for everything you both did to bring the boys home."

JJ thought complimenting her friend would steer the conversation away from Emily and all the conflicting emotions but instead Garcia forced the issue. "We were worried about you Jayje, that's all. And as for being grateful, have you told Emily that?"

The question brought her up short. Had she told Emily? She couldn't really recall. The night she brought the boys back JJ was too angry and embarrassed to remember her manners. Since then the women hadn't spoken. Was it possible that she never thanked Emily for all she'd done? Immediately she felt like a horrible person and an even worse friend. Suddenly it made sense why Emily hadn't joined the team on their visit, she probably thought she wasn't welcome.

Garcia's hand on her arm brought her back to reality. "You okay?" she asked gently.

JJ nodded, while she tried to resist the urge to gag. How terrible a friend was she? With no other recourse, she hurried to explain everything to Garcia. "I understand why you guys did what you did. I understand you were worried and I know I wasn't being very open or talkative about any of this."

Next to her Garcia scoffed. "You can say that again."

Guilt bubbled up in the pit of her stomach. "I'm grateful that you and Emily were willing to go so far to find the boys and bring them back. I know how much you both risked for me and I'll never be able to thank you enough." She paused to let the words sink in before continuing. "As grateful as I am Garcia, I can't help but be annoyed too. You both did what I asked you not to, and you did it knowing it was going to upset me."

Garcia leaned back away from JJ's hard words. "We were just…"

She didn't need to hear the rest. "I know Garcia, you were trying to help, but you still went behind my back and that's going to take some time for me to move past."

"So we are going to move past it?" she asked in a hopeful voice. "All three of us?"

JJ understood Garcia wasn't asking for herself as much as for Emily and that only worried JJ more. She reached out and pulled her friend in for a hug. They met in the center of the couch they were sharing. "Of course Garcia, you and Emily are family. I may not always like what you do, but I love you both and I'll always find a way to forgive you."

When the hug was over Garcia reached out and played with a blonde strand of JJ's hair. "Do me a favor and mention that to Emily next time you see her."

She knew Garcia had more to say, she could tell by the way her lips remained slightly parted but JJ couldn't wait. "Why? What's wrong with Emily?"

Garcia was way too smug-looking for JJ's liking but she needed answers so she didn't comment. She bit the inside of her cheek and waited. "Emily is fine," Garcia assured her, far too slowly. "She's just being her broody self, worrying about you and your friendship, she's afraid she screwed it all up by trying to help."

Garcia stood up from her seat and JJ did the same. "She didn't, you know," JJ confessed in a whisper as the two friends made their way to the door. "She didn't screw anything up, I mean."

"I know, but Emily doesn't."

R-C

Hours later when the phone next to her head rang JJ was almost pleased. She'd been up all night, tossing and turning, lost in thought about everything that had happened, everything that had changed recently, and what she intended for the future. Mostly though, her thoughts wandered to her earlier conversation with Garcia, the one about Emily.

How could Emily think their friendship was lost? Didn't she realize just how important to JJ she was? Didn't she know it was almost as difficult to stay mad at her as it was to stay mad at Garcia?

From her uncomfortable position on the couch she reached over her head for the phone. Despite the awkward angle, she managed to grab it before the third ring. "Hotch?"

"Sorry to call so late JJ but we've got a case," he informed her quickly. As always Hotchner was nothing if not straight to the point. "I know you aren't scheduled to return to work until Monday, but the team will be meeting at the office for a briefing in ninety minutes and you're welcome to join us."

She understood not only what he was saying, but what he wasn't saying. "You need me there?" she guessed.

"Its your call JJ. If you want you can come back a couple of days early and help us catch the Unsub from the start, or you can finish your holiday and work with Garcia in the office until this case is finished."

JJ didn't know what to do. Her instincts, the parts of her that loved her job were insisting that she join the team. They pointed out how difficult it would be to try and catch an Unsub, if she begins two days later than everyone else, not to mention how much harder it would be to learn anything from Quantico.

Opposite that, JJ had wanted to take the boys to the zoo that afternoon and she knew both her children were looking forward to it, especially Henry. Her stomach knotted as she thought about her sons. How could she do this? How could she leave them again? Her mind raced and she thought about Emily. Emily was going to watch them, Emily would protect them, Emily would keep them safe.

JJ and Emily were in desperate need of another important conversation. This time it was JJ who needed to apologize, JJ who needed to assure her friend and correct some misconceptions. She'd planned to do that today, intending to call Emily and invite her along to the zoo. She wanted the adults to have plenty of time to speak while the boys peeked in the various cages. Now that wouldn't be possible unless JJ turned the team down and stayed away from work until Monday. Could she go to Emily now, before their talk, for help? She had agreed to watch Michael and Henry and JJ was flattered by the offer, even if it still felt slightly awkward.

She was pulled from her thoughts by Hotch who she had forgotten was waiting for her answer. "JJ if you want a few more days, its okay. You've earned them."

"You wouldn't have called me, if you didn't need me there for this case Hotch," she pointed out.

He sighed into the phone. "The Unsub wants attention, he's killed four. On the first two bodies, he left messages that the police didn't release, after his most recent killings he sent his messages directly to the press. The media is having a field day and I don't know anyone better at wrangling wild reporters than you JJ."

JJ had heard enough. "I'll meet you in the office as soon as I can."

"Thanks."

After hanging up the phone JJ bolted into action as she always did when she got a call like that from Hotch. She threw back the covers, and was already topless and on her way to the shower when she remembered Will wasn't there to watch the kids. Wiggling out of her underwear she left them just inside the bathroom door before she darted back into the living room to get her phone. She started the water while she was listening to the ringing, hoping Emily wouldn't be upset.

"JJ?" Emily asked in a groggy voice, laced with sleep. "Is everything okay? Are the boys okay?"

JJ smiled to herself as she stuck her hand under the running water to test the temperature. "Yes Em, everybody is fine, I promise. Hotch just called and we got a case that requires a media liaison, so he asked if I could go back early." JJ held her breath as she waited. What would she do if Emily said 'no?'

More awake now, JJ could hear Emily moving about. "Are you going?"

"If you can watch the boys…" JJ started to say before Emily stopped her.

"Of course, I told you I was here to help you and I will."

"I'm sorry Em," JJ said sincerely. "I've interviewed a handful of nannies but none of them seem like a good fit. I'll find someone soon, I promise."

"There is no rush Jayje, I'm here. Now when do you need to meet the team?" she asked with the phone suddenly further away from her mouth.

"I told Hotch I'd be on my way as soon as I could. I am just about to jump in the shower, so I can be at your place in twenty-five or thirty minutes," she guessed.

"Don't do that!" Emily said quickly, and far too loudly for the early hour.

"Don't take a shower?" JJ asked with a tinge of humor in her voice and no shortage of confusion.

Emily groaned and JJ couldn't help but giggle. "Don't bring the boys here, let them sleep. You can get ready and I'll be there in a few minutes."

"You're going to come here?" she asked in shock. Such a generous offer.

"Makes more sense for me to get up than for you to wake the boys and bring them here. All their toys are there, they are comfortable there, that's where they should be."

JJ felt it was necessary to offer her friend an out. "Are you sure Em? You don't need to do that."

"I'll bring coffee," Emily bargained. "Now get in the shower and stop worrying, I'll see you soon."

Just before she stepped over the side of the tub she set her phone down on the corner of the sink. As she did her eye caught a flicker of her reflection and she almost didn't recognize who she saw. In place of the indifferent expression, the outright scowl or the phoney smile she had been wearing for most of the last nine months, now JJ saw herself smiling, really smiling. Not forced or tense, but perfectly at ease and natural. Pleased by this turn of events she entered the tub and let a moan pass her smiling lips as the hot water battered her tense back muscles. She really needed to stop sleeping on the couch.

R-C

Not surprisingly JJ met Emily at the door before she had to decide if it was too early to knock. "Good morning Em," she said in a warm voice that dripped with sincerity. She quickly stepped back, making room for Emily to enter. "Thank you for doing this."

Emily slipped inside and handed over one of the two coffee cups she was holding. "It is not a problem Jay, I'm here and the team needs you, so it's win-win."

She took a sip of her coffee and allowed Emily the chance to get a good look at her friend. While Emily was wearing unattractive sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt from her time at college, JJ was the picture of professionalism. She was wearing a black pair of dress pants that clung to her hips like a second skin before loosening up around her legs. The silk blouse she wore was a deep green color that looked gorgeous against her pale skin. Her hair was still wet and largely untamed, reminding Emily just how quickly she managed to cross the city and get to JJ after the call.

"Leaving the boys doesn't feel like a win," the mother confessed. "I feel like a horrible mother."

Emily set her cup down and pulled JJ into a sudden hug, smelling the shampoo she used and the hint of vanilla body wash lingering on her neck. "You are a fantastic mother and your boys know that. They know that when Mommy is gone away she is stopping monsters to keep them and everyone else safe. You're a hero to Henry and Michael JJ and I never want you to forget that."

In response Jennifer hugged her tighter and sniffled against her shoulder, confirming what Emily suspected, that she was holding back tears. "How is it that you always know exactly what to say?" she wondered.

"It's a gift," she teased, releasing her friend. "Now why don't you finish getting ready and enjoy your coffee for a minute? If you don't leave soon you're going to be late for the briefing."

With a start, JJ seemed to remember the reason for the early morning meeting. She hurried to the end table next to the couch where she picked up a brush and began moving it through her hair, working out the knots.

"Anything I should know about watching the boys today?"

"I was going to take them to the zoo, but Hotch really needs me on this case, so just tell Henry that I promise I'll take him when I get back. Maybe you could come along?" she offered, hoping to bridge the divide between them.

Emily was shocked by the offer. She was well aware she wasn't JJ's favorite person right now, and although the mother needed help to watch her kids, Emily wasn't delusional enough to believe that her offer to help fixed anything between them. "That's sweet Jayje, but I'm sure the boys would rather spend their time with you. They really missed you and I doubt they would want to share you with me for an afternoon."

For reasons she didn't understand JJ looked pained and Emily couldn't help but feel a sudden, powerful urge to comfort her. "Emily, we need to talk," JJ said, pulling on her favorite shoes.

Emily tensed. She didn't like the sound of that. "O-kay…" she replied, stretching the length of the word to its limit. Her dark eyes avoided JJ's as she waited for the inevitable storm.

"Em," she said, her voice cracking, "I just want you to know that even though you went to New Orleans without telling me, even though…"

Emily knew where this was going and she couldn't let it continue. It was almost painful listening to JJ struggle over the right way to let her down. She understood and wasn't going to make it harder on JJ than it already was. "It's fine Jennifer," she said quietly. "You don't have to say anything. I understand."

JJ reached for Emily's hand but the Interpol agent stepped back, using her coffee as a poorly concealed shield. "Emily," she pleaded.

"JJ, it's fine, I understand."

"No, you don't!" JJ shouted, surprising them both. "Emily what I'm trying to say is that even though I'm upset that you didn't tell me your plans, I know why you did it and its because of you that I have my two sons sleeping upstairs." She reached for Emily's hand again and this time wouldn't be turned away. She traced her finger over the back of Emily's scarred knuckles. "I know how much you're giving up to be here for me, to watch the boys for me, until I find a nanny and I'm grateful to have a friend like you in my life."

Emily's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. That was not what she expected JJ to say, in fact it was almost the opposite of what she was preparing herself to hear. "JJ," she whispered, unsure of what else to say.

The finger moving along her hand didn't slow as they spoke in whispers together. "What I'm trying to say, very poorly, is thank you Emily Prentiss for everything you've done for me and my family."

The women stood, their hands connected, their eyes locked and JJ felt herself leaning into Emily's space, while Emily did the same. The moment was interrupted by the chiming of the grandfather clock in the dining room, announcing the hour. They pulled apart awkwardly as Emily searched for a safe topic to break the silence. "It is later than we thought," she said, stating the obvious. "You better head out if you're going to be on time to meet Hotch."

JJ seemed just as startled as Emily felt inside. "Y…yeah, yeah, it is late," she said sparing a glance to her watch as if to verify her point. She picked up her go-bag from the spot near the door and slung it over her shoulder. "I meant what I said Em, thank you."

Uncomfortable with the praise Emily kept her eyes and her voice down. "Any time Jennifer," she promised.

She was standing on the steps when she opened the door and stuck her head back in. "You know, I was thinking. Why don't you take the boys to the zoo today? I know they'd love it."

"Are you sure?" Emily wondered, knowing how much JJ valued family moments, especially now. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind waiting until you got back."

"Tell Henry that if he likes the zoo, we can all go back after the case is over." She gave her friend a devilish smile. "If you think you can handle all three Jareaus at one time, that is."

Emily was surprised, but pleased to learn she was a member of the 'all' JJ was speaking of. She tried to match the mischievous glint in the blonde's eye with one of her own. "You know me, I do love a challenge."

R-C

JJ felt nothing but tension as she tried for the fifth time to write the script for her upcoming press conference. Despite the urgency of the situation and the importance of her work she couldn't seem to get her mind off her sons and their 'babysitter'. She didn't recall being this nervous on her first case after Henry was born, or the first day she was an actual profiler and not just a liaison.

Finally, surrendering to her worry she put down the pen and picked up her phone. She dialed Emily and was rewarded with the sound of her friend laughing loudly as she tried to answer. "Hel…hello," she said as she fought to control her voice.

Without knowing why JJ felt herself smiling along. "Having fun?" she teased, clicking her tongue against the inside of her cheek.

"Jayje?" Emily questioned, sounding almost surprised. "Is everything okay? How's the case?"

"What's so funny?" JJ wondered, ignoring the questions from Emily.

On the other end of the phone she could imagine Emily blushing. "Oh, um, the boys were just showing me their best tiger impersonations," she explained, battling another wave of laughter. "Your children are truly talented, Miss Jareau," Emily said in her most formal voice.

For a few seconds JJ couldn't hear much as Emily spoke away from the phone. When she was done, JJ immediately heard the roars and growls of two adorable little boys as Emily urged them on. JJ couldn't help but laugh as Emily had, it really was funny.

"Sounds like you three are having fun," JJ said, feeling lighter somehow.

"We are," Emily confirmed. "Michael thinks the wolves we saw are just overgrown puppies and he wants one," she explained with a chuckle. "Aside from that, they miss you, we all miss you." The words hung between them, separated by hundreds of miles.

The mother couldn't help but laugh along. "Please, Emily I don't want any wolves or other pets waiting for me at home when this case is over. Two boys are enough."

They shared a quiet laugh together before Emily asked, "How's the case coming?"

JJ sighed and she felt her smile vanish. "No breaks yet. I've got a press conference in an hour and I have no idea what to say. I can't exactly go with the truth, 'a serial killer is murdering people at random to try and become famous, so no one is safe.'" She groaned with frustration that seemed to bubble up inside her. "We've got nothing Em and he's going to kill again."

"Just take it one step at a time," Emily suggested. "Work the profile. Being famous is obviously this guy's endgame, so ask yourself why it's so important to him? Why is he willing to go so far for fame?"

"Thanks Emily," she said seriously, before she turned playful again, "but that doesn't help much with my press conference."

Even with all the space between them JJ could tell Emily was rolling her eyes, completely unrepentant. "You'll do fine Jennifer, you always do."

R-C

By the time the press conference began Emily and the boys had returned from the zoo. Michael was asleep on one of the living room chairs while Emily sat next to Henry on the couch, his newest stuffed toy, a tiger, in his lap.

When JJ came on the screen, Henry leaned forward in his seat and Emily ruffled his hair. "Look buddy, there is your mom."

To keep Henry from focusing on the words JJ was saying, or the crime they were investigating Emily kept the boy engaged, talking about how pretty JJ looked on TV, how many people there were in the crowd to listen to her talk, and how bright the sun appeared to be behind her.

She stood at the podium with Rossi on her right, and Lewis on her left. Emily's focus was Henry but she listened as best she could to the details of the case. It happened just as JJ was warning everyone to be vigilant. The words were drowned out by a loud bang that commanded attention. Emily tensed as she watched and pulled Henry into a hug, holding him against her to keep his face away from the TV, unsure of what he'd see. Emily filled with dread as she watched the chaos. The camera that had been trained on JJ was now wildly swinging from side to side, searching for danger. She watched intently as people ran in every direction, screaming while they franticly raced no where in particular. A mother picked up her young daughter and raced to hide behind a bench, an elderly man dropped to the pavement and covered his head, and a man wearing a brown suit dropped his briefcase and sprinted away from the stage as quickly as possible. Emily refused to blink, afraid she'd miss the moment where the camera panned across the stage. She needed to see if anyone was hurt. She needed to see if JJ was hurt. It felt like an eternity before the camera passed the stage, Emily couldn't see much of anything. The stage was empty, except for a small amount of what she could only assume was blood.

While she clutched Henry to her chest Emily dialed her friend's number. The call rang once and then turned immediately to voicemail. At the same time, a reporter appeared back on the screen, the camera had been stabilized and they were reporting again. The headline taunted her from the screen, 'FBI Agent Shot During Serial Killer Press Conference.'

R-C

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, I couldn't quite decide where I was going to go with this one. I'm still not sure to be honest. I will keep working on it, and updates will be as frequent as I can manage.

Thanks,

Russell Craig


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: As usual anything you like or recognize belongs to someone else.

R-C

Like Emily, Penelope Garcia was only half-listening to the press conference. The majority of her focus was on her various screens as her fingers sought out the killer. She was searching, cross-referencing and cataloguing all the potential suspects when the gunshot startled her. It was loud enough to cause Garcia to jump in her seat, spinning around to face the screen that had been showing JJ. She nearly vomited when she saw the blood staining the stage near the podium but she did her best to remain calm.

Her fingers shook so violently that she had to try more than once to dial all of JJ's number. Tears welled up in her eyes as she heard the recorded message of her voicemail. She didn't bother with a message, choosing instead to hang up and call Reid. He'd been working at the police station on his geographic profile and would likely have the most information.

The relief she felt when the call didn't immediately go to voicemail changed to something else when she heard Rossi's masculine, smooth voice in place of Reid's uneasy tone. "Garcia?"

Long seconds passed before Garcia remember she was required to speak. "Please tell me everyone is okay," she begged.

"I wish I could kid, I really do," Rossi told her in a sombre voice.

In the background, she could hear yelling, sirens and loud, authoritative orders being barked in one direction or another. "Is it Reid?" she guessed, assuming since Rossi was answering his phone, he couldn't.

"Reid is fine Garcia," Rossi assured her. "He's just busy so he couldn't answer."

Garcia's stomach sank. He was being gentle with her and that meant it had to be bad. "Busy doing what? Who isn't okay? Who got hurt?" She fired off the questions without leaving space for Dave to answer.

"Take a breath," he instructed calmly, using a voice he typically reserved for hostage negotiations. "Garcia, Reid is helping JJ until the paramedics get here. We don't know much right now, but I promise we're doing everything we can for her."

The dam holding back her tears broke and Penelope sobbed into the phone while drops streaked down her cheeks. "JJ…"

It just didn't seem fair. After everything JJ had been through, she gets hurt on her first case back. Her mind drifted to Henry and Michael and then by extension to Emily. She'd need to call Emily and tell her what happened, but first she needed the data, she needed information. Sitting up a little straighter in her chair and wiping her eyes she swallowed past the terror and tried to learn more. "What happened?"

There was a delay before Rossi answered and in the background she could hear what she could only assume was the arrival of the paramedics. She heard Hotch's voice but couldn't make out the words. She did understand however when Reid yelled that he was going with JJ in the ambulance. "What happened?" she tried again, desperate to know.

"The Unsub had to be in the crowd, it's the only thing that makes sense," Rossi said, talking more to himself, than her.

Garcia couldn't wait anymore. "What happened to JJ?"

"The Unsub shot her," Rossi finally admitted, confirming Penelope's worst fears.

"How bad?" she asked, remembering the pain and fear of her own shooting years earlier. She didn't want that for JJ. Her stomach tied itself in a knot that felt impossible to loosen.

"She was hit in the upper chest. Reid was able to keep her alive until the paramedics arrived but its bad Garcia, you need to try and prepare yourself…"

She gagged in response to his words. She knew what he was going to say. She knew what he wanted her to be prepared for, but she wasn't willing to consider that, not now, not JJ. After all she'd endured, she deserved a break, something good, not this. JJ was overdue for a happy ending and instead she gets something entirely different, it broke Garcia's heart.

Needing to feel useful she furiously began typing away. "If the Unsub was in the crowd maybe there is video. I'll scrub through the footage and see if I can get anything."

"Thanks," Rossi added without emotion, his mind clearly elsewhere. His tone softened before he added, "I'll let you know as soon as we hear anything"

R-C

After four unanswered calls to JJ, and one more to Hotch Emily was beside herself. Henry had run off to play in his room, unaware of how his life was balancing on the edge of a knife, teetering one way and then the other, threatening to change everything forever.

She wasn't prepared for how helpless she felt, as she waited for news. She wasn't a member of the team anymore, hadn't been for years and still it felt wrong that she wasn't there. Emily was just about to call JJ again, when the phone she was holding rang in her fist. She opened it without checking the display. "JJ is that you?" she all but shouted.

"Sorry Buttercup, its just me," Garcia said, sounding as if she'd been crying. "Have you seen the n…"

Emily cut her off, forgetting all the manners that had been drilled into her during childhood, "I was watching." There was a delay and she wondered what Garcia was thinking. Not for the first time she hated the distance between her and the people she loved. That helplessness she was feeling reared its ugly head again. "What do you know? I've tried calling but I can't get through."

"Emily," Garcia said gently, "it was a shot and JJ was hit. The most recent update I have is that they made it to the hospital and she was with the doctors, she'll need surgery."

Emily felt tears streaming down her face but made no attempt to wipe them. She understood what Garcia wasn't saying and it terrified her. "Garcia, can you get me on the first flight? I need to be there."

She could hear Penelope's confusion. "Um, sure but what about the boys? I can watch them…"

"Garcia!" Emily interrupted rudely. She was already upstairs, gathering things for the boys while they unknowingly played around her. "I'm bringing the boys with me. The first thing JJ is going to want to see when she wakes up are Henry and Michael, so please find me a plane so I can make that happen."

Garcia seemed to jump into action. "Oh, okay, of course, yes I can do that. I will do that. Three tickets will be waiting for you at the airport."

"Thanks Garcia, please call me if you hear anything."

Emily let the boys play and laugh in peace while she finished packing. Her go bag was ready and waiting so she only needed things for the boys. She packed everything tightly into one bag and then sat down on the bed, noticing for the first time the Superman bed sheets. She called the boys over. Michael climbed into her lap and Henry took a spot beside her. "Boys we need to take another trip," she said softly, preparing for what was coming next.

Henry was instantly excited. He'd travelled a lot recently and apparently had a taste for it. "Where we gonna go?" he asked with a big, childish grin.

Scared she reached out and took Henry's little hand. "We're going to see your mommy buddy."

"She's at work," he told her with supreme confidence, "we can't bother her until she's done." Silently Emily wondered how many times JJ and Will had explained to Henry that he couldn't bother his mother at work. He seemed to understand the importance of her job and it made Emily's heart race in her chest.

Despite he situation Emily found herself smiling at the sweet little boy. He reminded her so much of his mother. Michael squirmed in her lap so she cuddled him tighter to he body. "Your mom got hurt," she confessed. "She's at the doctor now and I know as soon as she's done she's going to want to see both of you guys, so we're going to surprise her."

"I like surprises," Henry answered quickly and then his little mind thought of something else. "Is mommy hurt like before? Like when we had to go away with daddy?"

"No buddy, this is different. We need to hurry though," she said, urging the boy to get up, and standing herself, setting Michael on his unsteady legs. "You and Michael need to pick out a few toys to bring along for the trip, then we need to hurry. The plane will be ready soon."

In truth, Emily don't know if the plane would be ready, or if there was even a flight upcoming, but she didn't care. She'd rent a private jet if she had to, she just needed to get to JJ. She pictured the blood on the stage, it was a small amount but that didn't necessarily mean anything. She was scared, honest to God scared and Emily didn't know how to handle it. Logically she knew she needed to be strong for the boys, it's what JJ would want, but how could she. She was falling apart. Lost in her thoughts she was pulled back to the moment by Henry's soft hand on hers. She looked down into his big expressive blue eyes. "We're ready to go see mommy."

R-C

All she felt was pain. There was nothing else, just burning pain and bright colors moving behind her closed eyes. She tried to open them, tried to look and see what was happening but she couldn't, they were too heavy. She struggled to recall details. What happened, why she was in pain, why wouldn't her eyes open? It was all a mystery and she was clueless.

Occasionally she'd hear a snippet of a conversation. She recognized some of the voices, knew the people, knew they were important but couldn't place a name to them. Everything was so confusing. The voices faded out and were gone just as quickly as they appeared, leaving her in a blissful, terrifying quiet.

After another blast of pain she felt like she was floating. She tried to move but felt as though she was weighted down. One by one she tried to test he limbs but was rewarded with only more agony. She wanted to scream but no sound would come out.

Terrified now, JJ frantically tried to remember what happened to her. The last thing she remembered was Emily, Emily in her pajamas, at her house. She wrestled with the memory, trying to catch it as it threatened to fade away. She wondered why Emily was at her home so early, and why she was there at all, wasn't she in London? Each time she tried to focus she just made things worse. For a long time she couldn't think of anything, she just laid there and waited.

It hit her in a rush, all the noise, all the movement. It had been perfectly silent until something changed. Her ears screamed in protest as she heard the yelling voices she didn't recognize. She was moving again and wanted to tell them to be careful, she wanted to tell them it hurt, but she was mute. The strange voices were talking far too fast for her to understand but she did hear a few keywords – surgery, emergency, next of kin – she struggled to recall the meaning of the words but slowly it came to her.

Next of kin, JJ immediately thought of her boys. She pictured Henry and Michael smiling at her, laughing as they kicked a soccer ball around the park. In spite of the pain she wanted to smile as she thought of her children but her body wouldn't cooperate.

After another long period of quiet JJ slowly began to put the pieces together. She remembered the boys and remembered that Emily was visiting and looking after them. Happiness filled her, battling the pain as she remembered what she'd been trying to recall for who knows how long.

She struggled to remember more, but failed, the pain was just too strong. JJ felt a sharp, sudden poke in her arm and she tried to pull away instinctively, only to be reminded again how pointless her efforts were.

In a moment of clarity she heard what was happening and it terrified her. A firm voice, one she didn't know, was loud and insistent, somewhere near her head. "We need to get that bullet out now."

It took a moment but JJ understood, a bullet, she'd been shot. A female voice joined the conversation from the other side of her body. "We're calling her next of kin, the waiting room is full of FBI agents."

There it was again, next of kin, her boys returned to the forefront of her mind but only briefly. Without warning the boys were gone, replaced by the face of a man she knew well. Somehow, she could sense she knew him, that he was important. His name reached her sometime later, perhaps a minute, or an hour. Will. In a flurry of fast moving, flickering images, she remembered everything. Their first meeting, their love, Henry, the wedding, Afghanistan, Michael, the fights, Will telling her she's a bad mother. Pain far worse than the bullet settled in her heart as she saw a flash, a memory of returning to an empty house.

Trapped in her body she wanted to scream, she wanted her boys, not Will, she wanted Emily.

R-C

The hours on the plane felt like eternity but Emily tried to stay focused on the two adorable children she was responsible for. JJ trusted her with her sons and Emily wouldn't let her down. To keep them busy Emily packed crayons, coloring books and paper. Each boy had made his mother a card and were now drawing random pictures. Michael was working on a dinosaur that looked remarkably like the dog he'd drawn on the previous page while Henry was practicing his writing, intending to show his mother the progress he'd made.

As soon as the plane landed Emily was on her phone with Garcia for an update. She heard that JJ was in surgery and they were still waiting for news.

After throwing money at the attendant, Emily rushed the two boys to the nearest rental car, threw her bags on the passenger's seat and loaded the boys in the back, hoping they could handle the short drive without car seats. She felt like a horrible babysitter as she adjusted their seatbelts around their tiny bodies. She hadn't thought this through at all.

The street signs with the big 'H' taunted her as she hurried as fast as she dared with the boys in the car. They chatted away happily, unware of everything that was happening around them. When Michael asked for his mother, Emily pushed the gas pedal a little harder. She needed to get the boys to JJ, it's what the mother would want.

She should have been there to protect JJ. That thought kept bouncing around in her head, mocking her as she worried. She wasn't in the FBI anymore, she'd taken a leave from Interpol but somehow, she still felt responsible, she should have been there to save her. In an instant of pure honesty she realized she'd gladly have taken the bullet for JJ.

At the hospital she stood beside the car, threw a bag over each shoulder and scooped up Michael in her arms. Taking Henry's hand she raced for the nearest door. Thanks to Garcia Emily knew exactly where to find everyone so she didn't need to waste time at the nurse's station asking questions.

When she got to the waiting area she was immediately hit with a sense of déjà vu. The team sat in uncomfortable chairs, each silent, paper coffee cups sitting untouched nearby. It reminded her of the night Penelope was shot. She'd sat next to JJ and held her hand as they worried together about their friend. She saw Rossi first, he smiled weakly when he saw her and stood up. The movement caught the attention of the others and they all looked her way. Hotch spoke first, "Emily, I didn't know you were coming." Although his words were steady, he looked rather uncomfortable and she didn't understand why.

"JJ is going to want to see the boys when she wakes up," she said, trying to justify her rash action. She'd been a babysitter for all of ten seconds before she was picking up the boys and flying across the country. Looking to Rossi she wondered if she'd made the wrong choice.

Emily released the boys and watched them hurry to their Uncle Spencer to tell him everything they'd seen at the zoo. Emily caught herself smiling again, regardless of her fear for JJ.

"What do we know?" she asked, not caring who answered her.

"Nothing yet," Hotch told her, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Rossi went to get her a coffee against her wishes and she was polite to Alvez and Lewis who were huddled together, looking over paperwork she could only assume was related to the case. She gagged when she glanced at Reid and Henry out of the corner of her eye. Spencer was attempting a magic trick with a coin and as his hand moved Emily noticed the blood he'd failed to wash away, on the side of his palm. She immediately understood but privately wished she was ignorant. That was JJ's blood. It was on Reid's hand because JJ had been bleeding, dying and he had tried to save her.

Sitting in an empty chair she folded her hands together, leaned forward and closed her eyes. Silently, for the first time in far too long she began to pray, not for herself but for JJ. She begged for JJ to survive, explaining to the Holy Father that she was needed here, by the team, by her sons and by Emily. Everybody needed her. None of this would work without JJ.

When the door opened she didn't bother looking up, expecting it to be Rossi with cups of horrible coffee. Instead she heard a gasp and then the scurrying of fast moving, little feet. "Daddy!" Henry cried as he rushed toward his father.

Now she looked up and standing there, looking both surprised and pleased Will had one arm around Melissa while his other held a steaming cup of coffee. She stood and faced him for the first time since she'd pulled a gun on him and taken his children. Will handed off the coffee to Melissa and bent down to hug his son. Emily listened as Henry told his dad he missed him and a few seconds later Michael caught up and got a hug of his own.

When the reunion was over the boys returned to Spencer and his magic tricks, leaving Emily, Wil, Melissa and the rest of the team to deal with the tension. Off to her right Hotch was giving her a look that spoke volumes, warning her to be careful. She gave him a slight, barely perceptible nod.

Will's voice turned her attention to him completely. "Emily, thank you for bringing the boys. I've missed them." His words held no sincerity and Emily could tell as surely as everyone else in the room.

"I didn't do it for you," she told him flatly. The question she wanted to know burned on her tongue and she couldn't hold it back. "What are you doing here?" How did Will know to be here? He was JJ's next of kin, sure but he was no longer using that phone number, so how did he know to come? How did he know JJ was hurt and why on Earth would he think it was appropriate to bring his mistress to his wife's hospital room? The urge to hit him swelled inside her.

"I was worried about JJ," he said before he sipped his coffee. "It was all over the news, they are showing the press conference on every channel. I wanted to see if she was okay." His words were hollow and meaningless to Emily and she had to remind herself there were children present before she did something rash.

Whatever she intended to say next was interrupted when the doctor opened a door across the room and stepped forward. "You're here for Jennifer Jareau?" he asked, and everyone turned in his direction.

R-C

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who is still reading this story. I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter but I hope you all liked it (or at least didn't hate it).

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes,

Russell Craig


	8. Chapter 8

She woke into a void of blackness, unaware how long she'd been asleep, or dead, or dying or whatever she was doing. Once she became aware of the darkness JJ tried to move and speak but there was nothing her body seemed capable of accomplishing no matter how hard she tried. Surrendering to the knowledge that she was stuck exactly as she was, she began counting her breathes, hoping to measure time in some rudimentary way.

Somewhere around 31,000 breathes she stopped counting consistently, but less than five thousand breathes after that something finally changed. It started with a flicker of light on the far wall, directly across from where JJ felt herself lying.

The white light scared her at first. Isn't that what every person who claims they died and came back saw, a white light? She wasn't ready to die, she had children, and her work, her boys needed her… even if her husband didn't.

It took well over ten minutes – JJ had resumed counting again – but slowly the white light spread from a spot until it was covering the entire wall. It reminded JJ of a movie screen, and rightly so because just seconds later a video started playing. It felt strange, seeing something so clearly with her eyes closed, but she didn't question it, she just watched.

The screen showed a beautiful grassy field, on a clear summer day. The sun was shining and flowers of every color seemed to border the grass on three sides. Without realizing anything was happening JJ left the table where she knew she was lying and instead found herself standing in the center of the grass field.

This time she felt as though she was having an out of body experience. She was standing there, unable to move anything below her neck, just watching the grass grow. Thankfully she didn't have to wait long before company arrived, in the form of her two favorite people. Henry and Michael ran into the field, passing over the flowers carefully so they didn't crush them. She tried to squat down to hug them, but couldn't and the boys ran right past, clearly unable to see her. She attempted to call out to them but found herself mute. She really was just a witness to whatever was about to happen.

Seconds after the boys came running in, Emily followed. Smiling brightly and dressed in jeans and a red shirt, she growled playfully and chased JJ's sons around the grassy area, tackling them gently on occasionally while allowing herself to be tackled by both boys far more often. A soccer ball appeared out of no where and JJ watched as Emily challenged the boys to a match and lost, badly.

From where she was standing JJ wanted to cheer each time one of her sons scored a goal or stole the ball away from Emily. She wanted to laugh each time Emily took an outrageous dive or captured one of the children in a hug that she wouldn't release. Tears shined in her eyes as she realized just how amazing Emily was with her sons.

In an instant, things changed and they were in a different place. JJ was still a mute, unmoving observer so she looked around and realized they were at the zoo. Right on schedule Emily appeared carrying Michael while she held Henry's hand. She looked perfectly at ease with the two boys and it warmed JJ's heart. She watched as Henry pointed to a stuffed animal he liked at a passing booth and Emily immediately stopped and turned, going back for it. The Interpol agent even went so far as to wake Michael so he too could pick a stuffed animal from the vendor. That's when she felt it, deep in the pit of her stomach, she was right to trust Emily to care for her children, she was the perfect choice, the only choice.

In another flicker of movement JJ left the zoo and was transplanted to the restaurant where she and Emily had dinner on Emily's first night in town. This time JJ didn't see her children, only Emily and a version of herself, sitting at a table, talking quietly. JJ cringed at how she looked. She knew before Emily came to help, that she was barely hanging on, but seeing it with her own eyes was painful. She had a new sympathy for the team who had to see her like that everyday for months. Her skin looked awful, the bags under her eyes were dark enough to be tattoos and her hands shook almost constantly, while she avoided eye contact whenever possible.

She saw it all again, like a movie she was watching for the second time. It just so happened that in addition to being in the audience she was also starring in the show, or if not starring, then at least played a supporting role. For a second time, Emily promised not to overstep her boundary, to only discuss what JJ wanted to discuss. Somehow JJ wasn't upset as she listened, even knowing that Emily disregarded her wishes and went to New Orleans the next day. Perhaps knowing the outcome made it easier to forgive her. Next, she heard Emily confess to being in a relationship with a woman. JJ was no less surprised the second time around, feeling her heart racing in her chest, and her knees grow weak at the admission. Apparently even a ghost could need a minute.

When Emily reached out and touched her hand, JJ felt a spark of electricity running through her whole body and a warmth on her hand, where Emily's was resting.

All too quickly those feelings were gone and JJ was in another new place that wasn't new at all. Now she was further back in her memory seeing the first moment she laid eyes on Emily Prentiss. Their earliest introduction was in Hotch's office, when JJ barged in without bothering to knock. Watching herself in that moment now, she felt a blush on her phantom cheeks. She actually saw her mouth fall open slightly when she took in Emily for the first time. She looked so regal and controlled, in that impressive, and expensive pantsuit, with not a hair out of place and minimal makeup. Those dark eyes held both secrets and kindness and she smiled. JJ felt what she'd felt then, only stronger and she could hear her own voice echoing in her head, 'She's beautiful,' it said.

Gone again, transported to another memory. JJ was working late, in no particular rush to go home to an empty house. Her eyes were heavy and she felt a migraine coming on. She descended the steps for what she hoped would be the final time, carrying an arm full of folders to distribute. It would be her last task before she called it a night.

Looking up she was surprised to see Emily still at her desk. JJ thought the entire team had left hours ago, even Hotch was gone. Studying Emily in silence she could see her brow was creased with worry, and her eyes were locked on a file as she chewed her thumbnail absentmindedly. Even her hair looked slightly askew, as if she'd run her hands through it multiple times.

"Emily is everything okay?" she asked gently, not wanting to startle her.

"Oh JJ," she said, pulling her head out of the file and immediately shoving her hand under the desk and away from her mouth. "I thought everyone was gone," she confessed in a quiet voice.

"So did I," JJ admitted, adding a wink for good measure.

A quietness hung between them for a moment but it wasn't awkward, or at least it didn't feel that way to JJ. There was a peacefulness that filled her, and once again she felt a warmth in her chest.

When the quiet ended, it was Emily who spoke. "Jen, I meant to tell you this morning, you look really nice today. I love that shirt."

JJ looked down at herself and blushed pink as she mumbled a polite 'Thank you'. She didn't think she looked all that nice, she was wearing a simple pair of blue jeans and a plain olive colored short sleeved shirt. It was basic and ordinary, but they didn't have a case and she was in her office for most of the day, so it hadn't seemed all that important until now.

JJ was lost to the memory. As the other version of her reached out and took Emily's hand, she felt that spark again, and the corresponding fire under her skin. When Emily squeezed her hand back, JJ felt butterflies she couldn't explain. Looking back at the scene, she saw Emily smiling up at her from her chair, and JJ smiled back, both versions of her.

The next memory she had to witness was nothing like the last. She was in her home, and she heard Will playing with Henry in the living room loudly. She was just about to ask them to be quiet when she heard Michael crying. Now it was too late, he was already awake. Cursing under her breath JJ wrapped a towel around her body and opened the bathroom door. "Will, can you get him? I need to get ready for work."

She heard him grumbling words she didn't understand as she moved down the hall to the bedroom. Stepping over a collection of Will's dirty clothes she opened the closet and let her blue eyes scan the hangers for something clean. She smiled when she saw the olive colored shirt, remembering Emily's appraisal of it. She pulled it off the hanger and tossed it on the bed, before she bent down and pulled on the bottom drawer of her dresser, letting the towel fall away in the process.

Ten minutes later her hair was styled and JJ was dressed. Out in the living room she found Will on the floor playing with Henry while Michael enjoyed his breakfast in the nearby highchair. All eyes turned to her when she entered and Will scoffed. "Casual Friday at the FBI?"

"It's Tuesday," she told him with a roll of her eyes.

"You're seriously going to wear that?" he asked, standing up.

She bent over and dropped a kiss on Michael's head on her way to the coffee pot. "Why wouldn't I?" she asked with her back to the family.

"Jeans and a t-shirt, seriously chere, you work at the FBI for God's sake, not a soup kitchen." She turned to find Will standing right next to her. Apparently, he wasn't done. "Where'd you get that anyway?" he asked, reaching out and tugging on the front of her shirt. "It looks old, did you get it off a trash heap."

As JJ lived the memory again she wanted to scream at herself. She wanted to insist that the other JJ turn and yell. She wanted to tell him he was wrong, tell him that not only were her clothes fine for her work at the FBI, but they didn't come from the trash. She was dying to tell him that Emily liked the shirt.

But the memory was painfully accurate so instead JJ had to witness the other version of herself, say nothing, set down her coffee mug and march straight back to the bedroom to change her clothes. She felt the urge to cry as she watched it all happen again.

R-C

The doctor froze momentarily as he looked out over the large crowd that had surrounded him as soon as he uttered her name. "You're all here for Jennifer Jareau?" he clarified, his face even and his hands hanging at his sides.

"Yes, what can you tell us?" Hotch asked.

"I'm her husband," Will added pointlessly.

"Well Miss Jareau sustained a significant injury but luckily the bullet was a small caliber and when it shattered it deflected away from the heart. She is very lucky but I expect that she'll make a full recovery."

"What about the bullet?" Rossi asked.

The doctor nodded. "Yes, well we were able to remove most of the pieces but two smaller fragments still remain. The dangers and risks associated with removing those pieces far outweighed any benefit she might have gained from having them taken out. So, unless they pose a problem for Jennifer down the road, they can remain where they are without any reason for concern."

"When can we see her?" Emily asked, when she felt she'd waited long enough.

The doctor's tired eyes scanned the large crowd again. "She is in the ICU. She is heavily sedated and will remain so all night, but you can go in two at a time, if you wish." He looked at each face in turn before he added, "Just don't stay too long."

While the others were busy processing the information Hotch spoke for them, "Thank you doctor."

Immediately the group began questioning who should go first. Not surprisingly Will thought it should be him. "The boys should see her first," Emily told him coldly. "She'd want to see them before anyone else and you know it."

Will sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes, looking to the larger group in search of an ally and finding none. "Fine," he grumbled. "I'll take the boys then."

Emily who had been balancing Michael on her hip only tightened her grip on the boy. "You aren't taking the boys anywhere!" she declared forcefully.

"They're my sons!"

"Who you kidnapped!" she snapped. "I can't stop you from being here, but if you think you're going anywhere with those boys that doesn't include me as their shadow, you are sadly mistaken."

Will looked mortified that his dirty laundry was being aired but he wasn't telling the BAU team anything they didn't already know. In an attempt to pacify everyone Hotch stepped in. "Will why don't you and…" he paused and looked to Melissa.

"Melissa," she said holding out her hand.

Hotch shook it professionally and offered a stiff smile. "Why don't you and Melissa go and see JJ first, then Emily can take the boys in to see here?"

"They are my chil…" he started to say, until Melissa leaned in to speak to him privately. Whatever she said seemed to silence him and he only nodded briefly before he and Melissa headed off down the hall toward JJ's room.

"Hotch," Emily complained, "the boys should have gone first."

"Yes," he agreed.

"But maybe," Rossi joined in, "once they visit, they'll leave." After a short laugh, he nudged Emily's arm, sending her and Michael rocking gently. "Besides you'll need a minute to wrangle these two and get them ready."

Emily didn't want to admit it, but Hotch and Rossi were right. She knew she had to prepare the boys for what they were about to see. She wondered, yet again, if perhaps she'd been hasty in rushing to JJ's side. Would JJ want her children to see her like this? Would she be mad at Emily for bringing them? She didn't know, but she did know that JJ loved her sons more than anything, so it stood to reason she'd want them as close as possible while she recovered. At least Emily hoped JJ would feel that way.

With time to prepare the boys, she sat them on chairs side by side and then knelt between them. "You boys ready to visit your mom?" When she was greeted with wide smiles and chants of 'Yes' Emily continued, "You know your mom is hurt right, so you have to be very careful."

R-C

The darkness was back and she had no idea how long it stayed for. Time felt limitless, no beginning, no end, nothing to measure it against. She was just waiting.

When it changed, it happened exactly as last time, a little spot that grew until it was a screen she could see and then finally she was transported, back to another memory.

This time she was taken to a bar, full of loud music and stale smelling beer. JJ remembered the night fondly, she was married by then. Will was at home with Henry and she was out bonding with the team. The night in question was one of their rowdier affairs, after a particularly rough case. By the end of the evening each team member had taken a turn, attempting to best the famed mechanical bull that the bar was allegedly famous for. Even Reid took a turn. Before long everyone was incredibly drunk and Garcia was sitting on Morgan's lap while they flirted back and forth shamelessly.

Looking at her watch JJ realized the time and decided she needed to go. With a quick round of goodbyes to her drunken friends she reached into her jeans for her phone, but was stilled by a warm hand on her shoulder. She looked up to find Emily behind her. "I already got a cab outside, want to share?"

JJ smiled so wide her cheeks hurt. "Em, you're going in the opposite direction. It'll cost a fortune…"

"Who cares?" Her hand moved from JJ's shoulder down her arm, until it captured her hand. "Let's go, the meter's running."

JJ felt a surge of happiness as she relived one of her nicest memories of late, enjoying time with her friends, before getting to spend time alone with Emily. Thankfully the memory continued.

In the cab the two chatted excitedly about any and every topic that sprung to mind. They laughed and giggled and sat together in the center of the bench style seat, like intoxicated, gossiping teenagers.

When the cab pulled up to JJ's house, Emily asked the driver to wait and together they walked up to her door.

Looking at the house, JJ saw all the lights were off. "Guess Will's asleep," she predicted.

"His loss," Emily commented casually.

JJ looked at her friend and raised an eyebrow in question. "What do you mean?"

"He'll miss out on you wearing that outfit, you look great Jen."

She blushed and looked at the cement under feet for a moment. "Thanks, it's just jeans and a top."

"Dressing casual suits you," Emily said before she leaned in and kissed JJ's cheek. "Goodnight Jennifer," she whispered.

Emily was gone, heading back to the cab before she could process and the memory was over. Still, JJ could feel the touch of Emily on her skin, the softness of her full lips and the slightest bit of heat. Only by witnessing it a second, sober time did JJ realize how close Emily's kiss landed to the corner of her mouth. If she was aiming for the cheek, she landed far lower than she intended. Unless she intended…

Her thoughts trailed off but the warmth of Emily's presence and the gentleness of her kiss remained, long after she was back in the darkness. She didn't want to be here and she knew it, so she fought against the heaviness of her limbs, against the weakness in her muscles. She opened her mouth and tightened the chords in her throat, attempting to create sound. Over and over she tried to call out to Emily, to bring the memories back, but no sound came, until finally it did.

R-C

Will was in the room, with Melissa standing just inside the door. He was pacing across the foot of the bed, looking at JJ every few steps. She laid there unmoving. JJ was dressed in a thin gown, and clean of most of the blood, although a few spots still dotted her pale skin. Only part of her bandage was visible with the gown on, but there were no shortage of tubes, wires and machines around the bed, each with a purpose he didn't know.

"This is what I was trying to avoid!" he yelled far too loudly for the environment.

Melissa stepped forward and gently put a hand on his back. "It's okay Will, you heard the doctor, she is going to be fine."

"No," he said shaking off her hand. "It's not fine. For years, I begged her to stop working, or to take a desk job. I knew this was going to happen, but did she listen, no! I knew it and she didn't listen. She never listened. She's so selfish she just refused to listen. I thought after she had Henry she would see sense but she didn't. This could have been prevented."

"She likes her job," Melissa said, taking her boyfriend's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You can't fault her for that. The only person responsible for this Will, is the man or woman who shot her."

"If only she'd listened…" he started to say.

Whatever he intended to say next was cut off by the quietest among them as she finally got her mouth to work. "Em," she said in a weak gasp.

Both Will and Melissa looked at one another and then the bed. As they moved closer they heard another gasp, "Emil," she uttered weakly.

"What is she saying?" Will asked and the lawyer could only shrug. She'd been too far away to really hear.

Will arrived at the side of JJ's bed and bent toward her face just in time to hear what JJ had been trying to say all along. "Em…ily." She staggered the word but it was clear enough for Will to hear and understand. With a growl of frustration, he clenched his fist and marched out of the room, calling for Melissa to follow.

As they passed by the waiting room both Hotch and Rossi asked about JJ while Henry called to his dad, but Will ignored them all and kept walking, leaving Melissa to hurry in an attempt to keep up.

R-C

Rossi smiled when he looked at Emily. "Guess it's your turn now kiddo," he told her.

"Guess so," she said in a low voice with little confidence. The idea of seeing JJ in her current state was unappealing, but she knew she needed to do this for the boys. With Michael in her arms and Henry walking slightly ahead she guided them to JJ's room, reminding them to be quiet along the way.

Emily felt tears burning her eyes as she opened the door and saw what was waiting for her. JJ was there, but she looked pale, really, pale. There was an IV on each side of the bed, one delivering medicine, and the other blood. In addition, wires seemed to be both colorful and plentiful, most disappearing under her gown to monitor one vital organ or another.

She walked to the bed, aware the boys were anxious, despite her fear. She set Michael down carefully and then lifted Henry up and set him gently on the other side of the unconscious woman. "Hi Mommy, I hope you feel better soon," Henry said as soon as he was settled. He bent over and kissed his mother's forehead, using his small hand to brush back her hair before he did. Michael attempted to do the same, but couldn't reach, until Emily helped so he could accomplish the same task his older brother had.

"Hey Jayje," Emily said softly. "The doctors say you're going to be fine. I brought the boys to visit, I hope you don't mind…" she had to stop to swat an errant tear and tried to force back the next ones, that was sure to come. "Don't ever do that to me again okay," she begged, reaching out and picking up JJ's hand, mindful of the IV attached. "I was terrified," she confessed. "I've never been more scared in my life. Dying didn't hurt near as bad as thinking I'd lost you. I need you to be okay Jen, I need it."

Right when she was preparing to set JJ's hand back on the mattress she heard it, a haggard, broken voice, but one she'd recognize anywhere. "Emily."

She tightened her hold on JJ's hand and brown eyes darted to her face, expecting to see a set of gorgeous blue eyes, but instead she finds closed lids. "JJ," she called. "Can you hear me?" But she got no answer.

Uncertain of what was happening Emily called for the nurse. When the young woman appeared in the doorway, Emily didn't even let her ask what the problem was. "She just talked," she said, pointing to the bed where JJ and her sons were huddled together.

"All three of you really shouldn't be in here," the nurse reminded gently.

"I know, I'm sorry but they are her sons and I know she'd want to see them. I was just about to take them to the hotel when she spoke. Is there something wrong? Is she in pain?"

The nurse went to the machines and reviewed the print outs, and then as if Michael and Henry weren't on the bed she conducted a set of vitals of JJ. "It doesn't appear as if anything's the matter," the nurse began. "Her vitals are improving and she's stable."

"But she said my name," Emily countered.

"She is heavily sedated," the nurse explained, "but it is possible that even under all the medication she is dreaming. I wouldn't worry."

Emily was stunned, but managed to thank the nurse before she left. She walked over to JJ and took her hand a second time. "Jayje, I'm going to take the boys to get some sleep now, but we'll be back tomorrow, okay?" While she spoke, her mind was stuck on one question, 'was JJ dreaming of her?'

R-C

She was waiting in the darkness when she heard Will's voice. She couldn't make out the words, but she could tell he was angry. With ease her mind conjured up all the times he yelled at her, berated, and belittled her. They all played in her head like a horrible movie. Tears welled up in her eyes and she didn't want to listen to it anymore. She was tired of hearing she was a bad mother, tired of hearing that her job wasn't important, tired of hearing she was a terrible wife, and that his mother was a far better cook.

Unable to move JJ called out for the only salvation she could think of, Emily. She tried and tried, forcing the issue until sound was coming out her mouth. She was proud of her modest achievement but even more so when it seemed to work. Will's voice and the memories it invoked disappeared and she was back in the dark alone.

Not long after she felt another presence in the room, and heard another voice. This one didn't make her recoil, or wish for it to be over, this one was comforting and reassuring in its tone, even if she couldn't understand the words. When Emily took her hand, she knew it, because she felt the unmistakable spark and the accompanying warmth that no one else seemed able to produce. Desperate to let Emily know she was listening she tried again to speak. After multiple failed attempts, she managed to mumble out her name. The warmth spread through her entire body when she felt Emily squeeze her hand in response. It really had worked.

R-C

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to read, follow, or review this story. I appreciate it and I apologize for the delay between chapters. Hopefully things will continue a little bit quicker from now on. Provided I don't get writer's block too badly.

Thanks again,

Russell Craig


	9. Chapter 9

Three hours, Emily lasted three hours after she put the boys to bed. Three hours of pacing around the hotel room, lying in her own bed attempting to sleep and of course, three hours of worrying about JJ.

Finally, when she couldn't wait any longer Emily called Reid and all but begged him to come and watch the children. She met Spencer at the door, jacket in hand and thanked him as she rushed out to the rental car, breaking into a sprint almost immediately.

As she drove Emily's mind kept replaying what happened in JJ's hospital room. Over and over she heard the raspy voice saying her name and each time it threatened to bring tears to her eyes. JJ sounded so lost, so desperate. Emily needed to get to her, and soon.

Inside the hospital, she resisted the urge to run, but she did jog to catch an elevator door before it closed. Once she was inside the steel box with three strangers Emily realized she should have taken the stairs. The elevator stopped on nearly every floor to either pick up new passengers, or to let someone escape. Forced to wait, she had nothing to do but think about JJ. How was she doing? Did she improve, or was she getting worse? Had she spoken again? Had she woken up alone?

The last thought was the one that gave Emily the most pause. She could only imagine how scared JJ would be, if she woke up, alone, in a strange hospital, with a new bullet wound. Determined to ensure that didn't happen Emily pushed her way through the crowd to the elevator doors and stepped off, two floors below where she needed to be.

When she arrived at JJ's room, she found Hotch sitting in a chair next to the window, a folder in his lap, his head hung so far forward she couldn't tell if he was reading, or sleeping.

"Hotch?" she said softly as she stepped closer to the bed, her eyes glued to JJ.

His head popped up instantly, proving he'd been only reading. "Emily, I expected to see you an hour ago," he said, his eyes alight with rare humor. "I guess your time in London has made you more patient than I remember."

She chuckled darkly. "I wouldn't bet on that. I had to put the kids to bed and I wanted to make sure they were settled." Pushing out a shaking breath she had to resist the urge to chew on her fingernails. "They've had a lot of change recently. Once I was sure they were sleeping I tried to relax, but it didn't take. I felt like I needed to be here, so I asked Reid to watch the boys and I came over. What's your excuse?"

Hotch shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I wasn't planning on getting much sleep tonight anyway. Figured I could review the case here just as easily as in my hotel room."

A long finger pointed to the folder he was holding. "That the profile?"

"Yes." Hotch said looking down at the pages and then up at Emily. "I'm just going through it again, to see if we missed anything. I knew he was growing bolder but shooting an FBI agent, that was more than any of us predicted. Even for an Unsub craving fame."

Emily understood what Hotch wasn't saying. He was blaming himself for JJ being hurt. In truth Emily understood, she had similar feelings, even though she was hundreds of miles away at the time of the shot. Somehow it still felt like her responsibility to protect JJ and she'd failed. Seeing Hotch suffering the same guilt, she tried to heal him. "You know what JJ would say if she were awake right now?"

Hotch who had turned his attention back to the papers gave Emily his attention, but said nothing. Emily's smile grew. "If she were awake, she'd tell you that this wasn't your fault. She'd remind you that the only person responsible for her being shot, is the man or woman who pulled the trigger."

He rewarded her efforts with a small smile. "Thank you, Emily. It really is great to have you back."

Emily smiled too. "It's great to be back," she told him honestly. It was quiet for a few moments before she spoke again, "You should go get some rest Hotch. You'll need to be awake tomorrow if you plan to catch the Unsub."

"I've just got a few more pages to review and then I'll leave you two alone."

"Is there anything new?" Emily asked, looking at JJ laying helpless on the bed.

"The doctor's say she's stable and improving. She should wake up as soon as the sedatives wear off," Hotch explained, relaying what he'd been told.

Emily felt the smile on her lips. That was great news. Once JJ woke up, she'd be able to talk and visit with the boys as she healed. Emily suspected that was exactly what all three members of the Jareau family needed. "Anything new on the case?"

"Emily, you're not an agent anymore," he reminded her kindly.

"Come on Hotch," she pleaded, "give me something!" Her eyes flashed over to the bed for a moment before locking in on her former boss.

"Alvez and Lewis went back to the scene and found the gun. It was hidden in a briefcase. According to Alvez it looks like the Unsub rigged the briefcase and shot from somewhere in the crowd."

"Who builds a weapon like that?" she wondered, giving voice to her first thought upon hearing the information. "That's strange."

"Strange is a kind word for it," Hotch said angrily, looking at his injured agent and fuming with rage just barely contained under the surface. "He wants fame and he's determined to get it, but it's like he's watching too many movies. He could have shot her with a gun, from the crowd just as easily, but instead he's goes to the trouble to rig a briefcase like he's James Bond."

They were both quiet as Hotch finished his final assessment of the documents. When he stood, Emily could see just how tired he was. "Get some sleep Hotch, it'll do you good."

"I could say the same thing to you," he countered.

"I'll try," she bargained. It was the best she could offer.

Hotch seemed to understand. "Goodbye Emily."

Once they were alone Emily pushed the chair Hotch had been using, closer to the bed and took JJ's hand. "JJ, it's me again," Emily said, gently stroking the back of her hand, touching any part not covered by tape. "The boys are fine, Reid is watching them. I guess I just missed you too much to stay away until tomorrow." She inched the chair a little closer and then leaned over the bedrail a little further. "I know they say you're going to be okay, but I'm still worried Jennifer. I need you to wake up, show me those baby blue eyes and tell me yourself that everything is going to be fine. I need to hear it from you."

She talked about anything and everything after that. She told JJ about her home in London, about her job and her life. She rambled about any detail she could think of, just so she could keep talking. Eventually the stories slowed and Emily's eyes grew heavy. Before long her words were slurred and every blink had the potential to render her unconscious for hours.

When sleep finally came, it wasn't the relief she was hoping for. Instead she was taken back to a time and place where she didn't want to be, forced to watch all over again.

It happened in her nightmare just as it had in real-life. JJ came out of the doors with Lewis and Rossi and took up her spot at the podium. Instead of being on JJ's couch in DC, Emily found herself standing in the crowd, watching amongst all the other reporters. She tried to scream, to warn JJ and prepare her for what was about to happen, but no sound came out. Next, she tried to run, tried to put herself between the shooter and the target, but her legs felt like cement and she was trapped.

The sound of the gunshot brought tears to her eyes and Emily cried shamelessly as she struggled to move, even knowing how pointless it was to try. Just as it had the first time, the crowd around her began to run, and scream, turning the scene into a chaotic mess, while Emily remained immobile. She was forced to be the only unmoving person in a sea of humanity. To her right a woman picked up her child and darted for cover, while off to the left an elderly man dropped to the pavement and covered his head, waiting for it to be over. Seconds later Emily saw a man in a brown suit drop his briefcase and hurry away from his spot near the front of the stage.

When she woke nearly an hour later Emily couldn't shake the feeling that her nightmare, as unpleasant as it was, was oddly meaningful.

For several minutes, she struggled to remember. While some details disappeared forever, the vital components of her nightmare grew more clear, making it painful to relive again. As soon as she was certain she got up from her chair and began searching her pockets for her phone. Ignoring the early morning hour, she turned on the device and waited impatiently for it to start. Pacing at the foot of the bed, she ignored the waiting voicemails and text messages. She paid them just enough attention to notice that they were all from London. She didn't need to be a profiler to guess that most of the calls were from Megan, and at least one was likely from John Clarke, her boss at Interpol. Both would want to check up on her, for very different reasons.

If she didn't know her former boss so well, she might have felt guilty for calling him so early in the morning, but she doubted she was going to wake him. While she waited for him to answer she reached out and put a hand on JJ's foot, rubbing gently in a circle, just so she could feel connected to the sleeping woman. The speed with which Hotch managed to answer, confirmed what Emily suspected, he hadn't taken her advice and actually slept. "Emily? Is something wrong with JJ?"

"JJ's the same," Emily assured him quickly, "but I think I've got a line on the Unsub."

"What? How? Emily what do you have?"

She took a deep breath and tried to explain, "You said the gun was in a briefcase, right?" She didn't wait for a reply, "Let me guess the briefcase was brown?"

"How'd you know?"

"I was watching the press conference with Henry." She shivered as she remembered, but pushed on, focusing on the fact that JJ was going to be fine. "After the shot, the camera kept running, but it was panning the crowd. During that time, I saw a man in a brown suit, he dropped his briefcase and ran off. I know Garcia is reviewing the video, have her focus on the first few minutes after the shot, tell her to look for a man in a brown suit."

"Are you sure?"

"I know what I saw Hotch, he dropped a briefcase and ran."

"Okay," he relented. "I'll get Garcia on it first thing."

Emily was satisfied. "Thanks." After she hung up she returned to her spot holding JJ's hand. "Who knows," she said, whispering to her friend, "maybe by the time you wake up the team will have the Unsub in cuffs."

R-C

She went from feeling nothing, to all at once feeling everything. Her arms felt heavy, her legs throbbed as though she'd run a marathon and her throat cracked suggesting she hadn't had anything to drink in days. As if that weren't enough, her head pounded and even the simple act of breathing left JJ with the impression that someone had started a fire inside her chest.

The bed dipped slightly on her left and the movement caused a sharp pain in her chest she was unprepared for. Gasping, her eyes popped open and she blinked to clear the tears of pain as she adjusted to the light. Slowly the burning dulled and seeing became easier. Almost at once JJ was met with a pair of blue eyes that matched her own. "Momma you're awake!" Henry shouted, throwing his arms around her neck. She wanted to hug him back, but couldn't.

"Henry be careful!" Emily chastised gently from beside the bed. "Remember what we talked about."

Lowering his voice to a whisper, Henry looked from his mother to Emily and back. "Gentle," he whispered, as though he was sharing his deepest secret.

Emily gave him a smile and he hugged his mother a second time, this time being careful of her wound. By the time Henry released her, Emily was holding Michael close enough that JJ could give her son a kiss with minimal effort. Still every action, however small, hurt.

For the next few minutes JJ used up her limited energy reassuring her sons and listening to Henry and Michael talk, about their trip on yet another airplane with their favorite aunt. Emily for her part remained silent.

When the boys were sufficiently calm and JJ was not, she demanded answers. "What happened?" she asked, her mouth dry and her lips cracked. Before she answered Emily hurried to a jug of water and poured some into a paper cup. Adding a straw, she held it out for JJ to drink. As helpless as she felt, needing Emily's aid to sip water, it tasted far too spectacular to really upset her. She didn't know how long she'd been asleep but if the dryness of her mouth was any indication it hadn't been a nap. As she struggled to find her most recent memory, she recalled the first piece of the puzzle. "The press conference."

Aware of the boys listening Emily was careful with her words. "He was in the crowd, the Unsub, but the team has a lead and they are on it."

She took a moment to let the words sink in and then she nodded to the Interpol agent. "Was anybody else hurt?" she asked, thinking of Rossi and Lewis who were standing next to her when it happened.

"Everybody else is fine."

Hearing that, JJ felt better. With a grunt of effort, she attempted again to move her arm and found it was once again listening to her commands. "W…what did the doctor say?" she asked, unable to supress her fear. Desperate to prove herself capable she tried to sit up, but after several seconds realized it was a lost cause and sank back into the bed.

Emily, who had set Michael down on his mat to play with some toys hurried to JJ's side and helped her sit as best she could without causing any additional pain. "You've got to take it easy there Jayje, you just woke up."

"We need to catch the Unsub," she said, her words beginning to slur as she grew tired again. "He wants to be famousss…" she paused and gave Emily a medicated smile. "Shooting an FIBI agent, shooting me does that." As soon as she was finished with her thought, her eyes closed completely and she drifted off.

R-C

About an hour after JJ fell asleep Rossi arrived at the hospital to relieve Emily. She tried to tell him that she was fine, but he ignored her as though she said nothing. To emphasize his point, he sat down on the dirty floor next to Michael in his expensive suit and began playing with the available toys. Before long, Henry had joined them, each male laughing as the cars they held crashed into one another. Rossi looked up from their most recent crash. "I'll take care of things here. Go back to the hotel and grab a shower, or at the very least get some coffee and splash some water on your face."

Thinking of all the messages she'd been ignoring Emily agreed and slipped from the room, dropping a kiss on both Henry and Michael's heads before she left.

Outside the cold DC air helped to keep her awake. She crossed one arm over her chest as she opened her phone and accessed her voicemail. The first two messages were predictably from Megan, and the next was John Clarke. What surprised her most was the urgent, almost angry tone of Megan's final message left only hours earlier. She felt some guilt as she heard the concern in the woman's voice but deleted the messages all the same before she moved on to the texts. These messages were all from Megan and were growing more and more frantic as days passed without Emily making contact.

Out there in the cold she thought about London, and about DC. She thought about what brought her to visit and what had kept her from leaving since. When the realization hit her it wasn't sudden or shocking but rather a slow, methodical understanding, one that warmed her from the inside out. She knew where she belonged and it wasn't in London, not anymore.

Expecting one call to be easier than the other, she started off slow. She called John Clarke and identified herself to his assistant. She was immediately put through to his office line. "Agent Prentiss, how is that vacation of yours going?"

"It's going well Sir, but I'm afraid the situation here is going to require my presence for the foreseeable future."

She could hear the audible gulp from an ocean away before he replied. "So, you're saying…"

"Sir, with respect I'd like to formally request that my leave of absence be converted into a resignation, effective immediately."

"Agent Prentiss, Emily, you have a very bright future here at Interpol. I probably shouldn't be telling you this but you're on the short list for a promotion, one that will move you out of the field and into a management role. It is very significant, with a substantial increase in pay."

Emily was unmoved by this information. "I'm flattered Sir, sincerely but I'm afraid the situation here leaves me with no choice."

She thought she'd explained herself well, but apparently, Clarke wasn't prepared to let her go quite yet. "Emily now is not the time to do anything rash. Continue on with your leave of absence for the time being. I'll contact you again in a week and if you still wish to resign we can discuss it then."

Emily instinctively knew that pushing the issue with John Clarke would be counter productive. She could tell by his tone alone that he was digging his heels in. If he wanted to drag this out, and call her in a week, she'd let him, but her answer wouldn't change. "Sir if you insist we do things this way, I'll go along, but I'm afraid my decision is made. I need to resign from Interpol as soon as possible."

John Clarke shifted gears and it tightened a knot in Emily's stomach. "How's your mother Agent Prentiss?"

"She's fine. I'll let her know you asked about her the next time we speak. I'm afraid I need to go, Sir." Suddenly Emily couldn't end the call quickly enough.

"Very well Agent Prentiss. I hope things improve for you there. We'll speak again in a week or so."

"Talk to you then Sir," she said robotically before she hung up. She shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose to fend off the approaching headache. It infuriated her that Clarke wouldn't accept her resignation, but she didn't see much she could do from her spot outside a DC hospital. If he wanted to delay the inevitable, she'd play along, but she didn't have to like it. She was done at Interpol and nothing John Clarke could say or do would change that.

Her next call would be a little more complicated. She needed to call Megan and apologize for missing all her calls while not returning any of her texts. Once she'd apologized sufficiently she'd have to subtly mention that she had no intention of returning to London. If she thought her boss had taken the news badly, she could only guess what was waiting for her after she dialed the final number. Still, she knew it had to be done, so while JJ and the boys were safe with Rossi, she called her sort-of-almost-non-girlfriend.

R-C

JJ's eyes snapped open and with a gasp of pain she scanned the room. She saw Rossi playing with her boys on the floor, but no one else. "Emily?" she asked in a low tone, her voice cracking from disuse. When she didn't get a response, she tried again, louder this time. "Emily!"

Rossi's head lifted from the toys he was using and he stood, reaching the bed in one long stride. "Hey JJ, how are you feeling?"

Panic bubbled up inside her and she didn't hear a word Dave said. "Emily?" she pleaded, looking around frantically. "Emily!" she called loudly, causing both Henry and Michael to look up from their game.

When JJ pushed off the blankets and attempted to get up in spite of her pain, Rossi was there to gently guide her back into the bed. "Emily is just getting a coffee," he told her. "She'll be right back."

JJ was frantic now, thrashing around, pulling at her IV's while she screamed for Emily. Rossi tried to settle her down, tried to help her, but couldn't. When the nurse came in, she was armed with a ready syringe. With Rossi's help, they managed to hold JJ down long enough for the nurse to get the needle in her upper arm. Within seconds of her pushing down on the plunger, JJ's body went slack and she was practically asleep.

R-C

Hanging up the phone for the last time Emily felt a wave of guilt that she couldn't seem to control. While it hadn't been her intention, she'd hurt Megan all the same. She could hear it in the nurse's voice as she tried to remain composed. She'd done her best to explain, but how could she expect anyone to truly understand? Emily admitted to herself that before she was a member of the makeshift family the BAU created she wouldn't have understood the connection the members shared either. Until she was inside it, such a unit was unfathomable to Emily and she suspected it was much the same for everyone else. Unwilling to listen to her phone ring when she had no intention of answering, she turned it off before stuffing it deep into her pocket.

When she arrived back in JJ's room she found Rossi sitting next to the bed, looking worried, while the boys played on the floor at his feet. Emily immediately knew something was wrong. She looked to JJ on the bed and found her sleeping, although there were new bandages on each of her hands that hadn't been there when Emily left. "What happened?"

Rossi looked up and gave her a sad smile. "JJ woke up briefly," he told her, folding his hands in front of his face.

"And?" Emily pressed, knowing there was more. "What happened?"

"She was asking for you," Dave said softly. "She seemed confused and she started trying to stand up, pulling at her IV's, so the nurse had to sedate her." Emily gave him a hard glare as she heard the last part. Rossi shied away from her slightly. "We were afraid she'd hurt herself," he said to justify his actions, avoiding Emily's unblinking eyes.

"I shouldn't have left," Emily confessed as a wave of self-loathing hit her. "If I'd been here when she woke up, this wouldn't have happened."

"You can't blame yourself," Rossi said, standing and putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Can't I? She needed me and I wasn't here." She shook her head and looked at the sedated woman on the bed. "I'll be here next time you wake up."

"You need to take care of yourself too Prentiss! JJ wouldn't want you to make yourself sick worrying about her."

There was some truth to his words but she pretended she didn't notice. Rather than focusing on that, she directed his attention to another, far more important subject. "Any new leads on the Unsub?"

Rossi gave her a shrewd nod. "Alvez called with an update while you were gone. They've got a name, but the team went by his house and his business and he wasn't there. They are working with the locals to spread out, checking his friends, family and any other place he might hide."

"What's his name?" Prentiss asked, feeling as though she needed to know who hurt her friend.

"Anthony Novak," Rossi answered calmly. "He's a thirty- year old carpenter who has tried out for every reality show imaginable at least twice. He's obsessed with becoming famous and killing appears to be his most recent method to capture his fifteen minutes of fame."

"I'll stay with JJ," she offered, "you should go join the others. They could probably use another set of eyes on the street looking for this guy."

"You going to be okay here?" Rossi wondered.

She gave him the best smile she could muster. "We'll be fine Rossi, just go catch this son of a bitch, please."

"We won't stop until we do," he promised.

Alone again with the Jareau family, Emily squeezed JJ's hand and spoke in a quiet but determined voice. "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you needed me. I promise I'll be here the next time you wake up. They know who they are looking for now. It is only a matter of time before they find him, you don't need to worry. The boys and I will be right here when you're done resting,"

R-C

Garcia was scanning the screens one by one looking for any other place Anthony Novak might be hiding. She'd already given the team every promising address she had and now she had moved on to far less likely locations.

When the phone rang, Garcia was hopeful that Novak had been found and she could end this case and get some rest. Before her hopes got too high however she realized that the number wasn't one she recognized, so it definitely wasn't a member of the team. She picked up the phone warily. "Yes?"

"Miss Garcia? My name is Richard and I'm calling you regarding a Miss Jennifer Jareau…"

"Is JJ alright?" Garcia needed to know, not allowing the man to finish whatever he intended to say.

"I can't discuss this over the phone. Please Miss Garcia can you notify the members your associates in the area? I require all of them back at the hospital as soon as possible. It's urgent."

Fearing the worst, Garcia mumbled, an 'okay' before she hung up and quickly began dialing the team, linking together their phones. "Something's wrong," she told them as she fought back tears. "Someone from the hospital called, they need all of you back there, as soon as possible."

"What's wrong with JJ?" Reid wanted to know.

"I'm not sure, he just said you needed to hurry," Garcia repeated.

"Emily is with her now," Hotch reminded the analyst. "We are on our way, but call Emily and get an update on JJ's condition."

Garcia didn't need to be told twice. She disconnected from the call and immediately tried to reach Emily but it rang only once before connecting to her voicemail. She left a brief message and all but demanded a call back.

R-C

This time when JJ opened her eyes her body felt almost weightless. Her face felt strange, like she was smiling but didn't know why and certainly couldn't stop. Her entire body was warm, and she felt the unexplainable urge to laugh. She could move her arms freely, and the pain that had held her in place before was almost entirely gone. Opening her eyes, she scanned the room, looking for Emily and finding her sitting on the chair next to the bed.

"Emily?" she said weakly.

The brunette immediately looked up and tightened her grip on JJ's hand. Their eyes met and both smiled, JJ feeling free as the medicine moved through her. Just as she'd done before Emily got up and helped JJ get a drink of water, one she was in desperate need of.

"I'm here Jayje. You're going to be fine, I promise."

She gave the brunette a wide smile and waved her over. "Emi..ily," she slurred. "Come're!"

Emily stood and leaned over the bed. JJ reached up and wrapped her arms around her friend, pulling her down in an awkward hug that Emily lightly returned.

In her mind, all JJ could see were the memories she'd witnessed while she was unconscious. She remembered the warmth every time Emily touched her, and the kiss that was so close to her lips. Medicated as she was, she didn't worry about minor details like consequences. All she knew in that instant was that Emily made her feel good, and she liked it. Hugging the older woman to her body JJ felt a spark of desire deep in her stomach and lower. When Emily pulled back JJ could only stare at her with an exaggerated grin. "I love you, ya know!?" she mumbled.

Emily's dark eyes widened and she appeared stunned. It was too comical for the drugged JJ and she laughed. Reaching out and calling Emily over again.

"I love you too Jennifer," she answered after a slight delay. It was hard for JJ to focus, but it seemed to her that Emily was less comfortable, leaning over the railing the second time.

When she didn't get close enough JJ curled her finger and smirked wickedly. "Come closer, I've got a secret," she tried to whisper but the volume was far too loudly for the quiet room.

A very distant part of JJ's brain wondered what the hell the doctors had given her, but she couldn't think about that for more than a second or two before she would be sidetracked by the amazing sensation she was feeling and the overwhelming sense of happiness that seemed to accompany it.

Armed with the potent memory of Emily kissing her cheek and hitting the corner of her mouth, JJ's medicated mind decided she wanted a repeat performance. With a shaking hand she reached for Emily's shirt, her fist closing on air as she tried and failed to grab the material. Her second attempt was more successful and she tugged Emily toward her as best as she could, not realizing how weak she truly was. When she was close enough JJ lifted herself up off the pillow and with a wide grin planted her lips against Emily's.

For several long moments, nothing moved except JJ's lips on Emily, until finally, Emily began to kiss back. More than a little caught up in the fun, and still oblivious to the repercussions JJ kept kissing, rolling her tongue against the seam of Emily's lips, in an attempt to separate them.

The kiss continued, until the heartrate monitor began beeping and Emily pulled away. With a few panting breathes JJ collapsed back into her pillow. "Wow," she said, still sounding intoxicated.

A few feet away Emily was looking out the room's window. "Wow is right," she breathed against the glass.

R-C

Author's Note: Not sure how many people are still reading this. Let me know if you'd like me to continue, or if you'd rather I try a different story.


	10. Chapter 10

While JJ was still marvelling at just how soft Emily's lips were, and how tender and gentle the kiss, a nurse appeared in the doorway. "How are you feeling JJ?" she asked as she walked in and approached the complaining machine. With her eyes on the printout she asked, "What'd you do to get your heart rate up so high?"

JJ's eyes instinctively flickered to Emily, who was looking only at the nurse. "It was nothing," she said with an unconvincing chuckle. Strangely the more time that passed the less real the kiss seemed. Perhaps it was the medicine or blood loss but JJ was beginning to doubt if it was anything more than a figment of her overactive imagination. A side effect from all those dreams and memories involving Emily.

The nurse quickly reviewed JJ's vitals. "You need to be careful. Your body is still healing."

"How high did it get anyway?" JJ asked, ignoring the nurse's comments.

"How high?"

"My heartrate," JJ clarified. "How high did it go?"

The nurse took another look at the paper the machine had spit out. "One hundred and forty-six beats a minute," she answered. Pinning JJ with a hard stare she added, "That is far too high for someone recovering from a chest wound."

One-forty-six, that sounded like proof the kiss was real. With a smug grin, JJ nodded her agreement to the nurse. "Did you hear that Emily? One hundred and forty-six, that's really high, don't you think Em?"

If looks could kill JJ was certain she would be dead. Instead she could only giggle at the glare Emily sent her way before she muttered a polite response. "Yeah that is pretty high."

"When can I go home?" JJ asked suddenly, changing the topic with ease, as her medicated mind bounced from subject to subject.

The nurse looked to Emily for help, but found the brunette kneeling down next to the playing children, actively trying to ignore the conversation. "Well you were sedated this afternoon, so we probably won't try to get you up and walking until tomorrow. If you can tolerate walking, I suspect the doctor is willing to let you go back to Washington to finish healing."

JJ's smile stretched across her face. "Hear that boys!" she called. "We can go home soon."

"The final decision will be up to the doctor," the nurse said quickly, trying to clarify and prepare her patient.

Emily gave her an understanding smile. "Thank you."

The nurse left and Emily happily helped each of JJ's children up onto the bed so they could snuggle into their mother, a woman who was quickly losing her battle to stay awake. "Did you make a big crassshhh?" JJ mumbled as Henry told her about the game they'd been playing.

Emily was by the bed in an instant, leaning over. "Henry, your mom is pretty tired, but I bet she'd love it if you laid with her for a while, just until she falls asleep."

The mother gave her son a sleepy smile as she fought to stay awake. The little boy kissed his mother's forehead as she'd often done for him and gave Emily a formal military salute. "I'll do it."

"You're a good boy," Emily said before she picked up Michael and carried him to the window, letting him see outside. "Your mom will be very happy to have you to cuddle with."

On the bed, JJ tried to agree. "Mmhmm," she purred, before the sleep came.

R-C

The sound of loud feet pulled Emily's eyes from the coloring book she was watching Michael destroy up to the door. She expected to see nurses and doctors rushing past to another room, but instead she found Hotch, Rossi and the rest of the team all attempting to get through the narrow doorway at the same time. "Emily how is JJ?"

Confused by what she was seeing, Emily took a second to look at the sleeping woman. Since she'd fallen asleep, she'd been silent and peaceful. "She's fine. Why?"

The team made their way into the room, followed by a doctor in a white lab coat. He closed the door behind him, but none of the others paid him any attention, their focus was entirely on JJ. "Garcia got a call," Reid explained. "She was told we needed to get back here as soon as possible. He said there was a problem with JJ."

Emily looked at the genius as if she didn't understand his words. "JJ is fine. The nurse even said she could likely go home tomorrow and finish her recovery there."

While the agents struggled to comprehend what was happening, the stranger in the room announced himself. "I'm afraid I'm to blame for this misunderstanding," he said calmly, with little emotion. "Please apologize to Miss Garcia for me, lying while distasteful seemed like the best way to get you all here at once."

When all eyes turned to the voice they were struck by what he was wearing. Not the expensive Italian loafers, the tailor-made pants, or the shirt that appeared to be hand-stitched, what was far more interesting was the suicide vest he wore in the middle layer, trapped between those expensive clothes and the crisp white lab coat that completed the look.

"Anthony Novak, I'm Aaron Hotchner, from the FBI…"

He held the dead-man's trigger in his right hand while his left waved dramatically. "I know who you are Agent Hotchner, I've been following you since you arrived here. I must admit though," he said with a laugh, his beady eyes moving from face to face, "you got here pretty fast. I thought for sure I'd have to kill a half dozen at least before I got the FBI's attention."

"You've got our attention now Anthony," Hotch assured him. "You shot a FBI agent on live television. They will be talking about you forever."

Novak couldn't hold back the glee at this opinion but he disagreed. "No, no, no!" he yelled. With a hard glare he looked at JJ who was just beginning to wake. "Shooting her may have been a spectacle, but people will forget. In a few days, they'll move on to something else. That's the problem, that's why I need to do something bigger."

Emily moved as quietly as she could. She had seen Hotch's subtle shake of his head, as she was sure the others had to. It's why no one had drawn a weapon yet and why so far, they were allowing Novak to set the pace. While he was distracted Emily picked up Michael, and reached for Henry, who was still next to his mother on the bed.

Novak spun toward the bed and drew a pistol from an unseen holster, holding it unsteadily in his left hand. "What are you doing?!"

Emily set Michael on the bed next to his brother and then stepped forward with her hands up, shielding the boys with her body. "I was just trying to get the kids somewhere safe. We can all agree that we don't want to hurt the kids, can't we Anthony?"

The hand holding the gun wobbled violently and Anthony shook his head to match. "Children?" he said, speaking to himself. "What are they doing here? They aren't supposed to be here! This isn't how it was supposed to go!"

The yelling brought nurses to the door, but Alvez was able to send them away with a shake of his head, while the Unsub was focused elsewhere. Emily decided to push her luck even further and stepped closer. "They are her sons Anthony, but you're right, they shouldn't be here. What do you say we let them go?"

Novak looked frantically around the room. Sensing some sort of connection forming, Hotch and the others stepped back, while Emily continued forward, giving them a very fake illusion of privacy. "They can go," Novak decided.

"Thank you, Mr. Novak," Emily said kindly. Turning to look over her shoulder, her eyes landed on Reid. "Spencer, why don't you take the boys down to the cafeteria? I promised them chocolate milk a little while ago."

As she turned her attention from Reid back to Novak her eyes passed over the bed, and she saw JJ. The blonde looked an odd mixture of terrified and relieved. With only a fraction of a second, and no words, she tried to reassure her injured friend as best she could.

Reid had one boy in each arm and was carrying them to the door, until Novak threw his arm out and stopped them. "No, no, no, no!" he shouted, pointing the gun at Emily and earning a gasp from the bed nearby. "He can't go!"

Emily backed up, giving Anthony some space. "Why not? We agreed that the children shouldn't stay. Spencer is just taking them out, like we decided."

"He can't go!" Novak repeated, cocking back the hammer on his weapon.

"Why not Anthony?"

"He is FBI! He needs to stay! It's the only way! He can't go!" As he screamed Emily noticed the way his finger slid around the trigger in his right hand. If he allowed the button to release, the circuit would close and bang! She needed to keep him calm and most importantly she needed to get the bomb away from JJ, the boys and the rest of the team.

"They are all FBI," she told him gently. "If you don't let one of them take the boys out, then they'll will have to stay and I know you don't want that."

"Emily!" JJ said from her position on the bed. "Em!" Hearing the nickname, Prentiss was powerless to refuse and turned away from Novak to look at Jennifer. "Take my sons and get the hell out of here, please."

With a smile, she reached out and touched one of JJ's blanket covered feet. "Don't worry Jayje, everything is going to be fine." To emphasize the point, she added a wink. "Trust me."

Just as she turned to Novak, the killer seemed to realize what he hadn't before. "You aren't FBI, you take them!" he demanded.

Emily nodded her head slowly. "I understand you Anthony and you're right, I'm not FBI." He smiled proudly at her confession, and at the admission that he was correct. "I know you want to be famous, I know you killed four people to lure the FBI here and then you shot JJ. Other people might not understand why you shot JJ with such a low caliber weapon, but I understand Anthony, I understand perfectly."

"Oh yeah!" he taunted. "What do you know?"

"I know if you wanted to kill JJ, you would have done it," she told him bluntly. "You want to be famous and you said so yourself, even shooting an FBI agent on live TV won't hold their attention for long, but blowing up a hospital, including the entire team of agents hunting you, now that would get people talking, wouldn't it?"

"I will be famous!" he declared with supreme confidence.

"In this country, maybe," Emily remarked dismissively. "Killing FBI agents is big news here, but what about the rest of the world? Don't you want to be recognized worldwide?"

She could see Novak's doubt his physical reactions were obvious. His eyes, once bright and wide began to dull, and his grip on both the gun and the detonator tightened so intensely that Emily could see his knuckles turn white. "W…what ar… are you saying?"

She knew she had him right where she wanted him, so she went in for the kill, determined to remove the danger from around all the people she loved. "I can help you Anthony. I can make sure everybody knows your name, but not like this. If you do this, there will be outrage. You'll be another pathetic loaner who took his anger out on the weakest members of society, people who were already sick."

Throwing both his hands up in frustration Emily tensed as she waited to see if his finger would slip off the button. It didn't and she exhaled, suspecting she was not the only one in the room with a similar reaction. "This is about them!" he said pointing to the agents. "Not everyone else."

"I know that Anthony, I know because I work for Interpol, the International Police Agency. Have you heard of us?" With a cold wave of her hand toward Hotch and the others she kept her dark eyes locked on Novak. "The FBI only hunts American monsters, but me, I hunt the worst killers in the world, no matter where they try to hide. The FBI is here because of me, because Interpol asked for their assistance," she lied expertly, calling on her time undercover to appear convincing. "The FBI is here because of me Mr. Novak and I'm here, because of you."

His eyes were bright again and Emily knew it was almost time. "Me?" he asked, disbelief coloring his tone. "Interpol knows about me?"

"I make it a point to know about all the most dangerous men and women in the world, no matter where they are. When I saw your case, I knew I just had to be involved, so I called the BAU and asked the FBI for help."

"You can't go either then. You have to stay, just like them!" Novak decided.

Emily took another tentative step toward her target. "They are unimportant," Emily said harshly, sparing Hotch another glance. "Anyone can kill, but I've studied people like you for a long time Anthony and what I've learned is that the most cunning, the most dangerous, the most intelligent men and women I meet, they don't need to kill, and I don't think you do either." She leaned into his space a bit. "I know you watch the news, so you tell me which is a better headline, 'FBI agents among dead in hospital bombing' or 'Interpol agent taken by criminal mastermind to be sold for secrets worth millions?"

"Millions?" he repeated back.

"You didn't come here to hurt these people Anthony," she told him in her warmest voice. "I know that, and you know that. You came here to get attention and earn the fame you deserve. You had a plan," she reminded him, pointing to the vest he wore, "but you don't need that bomb now, and you don't need them, you've got me." Emily heard JJ trying to quietly get her attention, coughing first, then clearing her throat loudly, before finally saying her name openly. Emily did her best to act as though she heard nothing. "If you kidnap an Interpol agent you'll be on every news channel in the world, your picture will be front page news from Moscow to Beijing to Melbourne. Everyone will want to know what secrets I have and they'll be willing to pay. You'd become one of the most powerful, dangerous and influential men in the world overnight. If you want to be famous Mr. Novak, put that gun away and let's go make it happen."

R-C

Once Emily had successfully sold herself for the lives of the team, and two small children Novak locked the adults in the bathroom, leaving JJ and her children in the main portion of the room alone. JJ kept calling for Emily, hoping to see a flicker of emotion but the brunette gave her nothing. Not even Henry calling for his favorite aunt was enough to break through her defences.

As soon as Novak was out of the room JJ was ringing for the nurse. She arrived at one door with security, while Hotch and the others entered the room through the now battered bathroom door. JJ's legs wobbled as she tried to swing them over the side of the bed, the sudden movement causing her head to spin. Hotch was handing out orders and JJ was not going to just lie in bed and wait to hear if Emily was alive. She was going to participate, she was going to be involved.

"I know you want to help," Reid told her as he supported a large portion of her weight, "but you can't help Emily like this."

"I can't help Emily at all," JJ countered, feeling and sounding defeated.

Spencer helped JJ get her legs back onto the bed. "The boys are here," he reminded her. "If you want to help, stay with them, watch them and reassure them while the rest of us are out getting Emily back."

She knew he was right, so she relented. "Fine, but please Spence, go find her. She sacrificed herself for us."

"We'll find her," he promised as he helped Michael up onto the bed next to his mother. Henry managed to get himself up onto the bed without aid, something his mother was silently proud of.

Uniformed police guarded the door and patrolled the halls, but inside the room it was just JJ and her boys. "Momma is Auntie Em okay?"

She ruffled her son's hair, ignoring the pain the action caused her. "Let me tell you something about your Aunt Emily, she's not only super smart, and pretty and brave but she's also the toughest person I ever met."

"Tougherthanyou?" Henry asked in an excited rush, not separating his words with space.

"Your aunt is way tougher than me," she told him truthfully, enjoying the boyish wonder and awe she saw in his eyes.

"Why'd she go with that man?"

"She did it to keep us safe," she answered confidently. "Your aunt would never let anyone hurt you or me, so she went with him to keep us all safe."

"Auntie Em's a hero!" Henry shouted. On the other side of the bed Michael heard his brother's exclamation and began trying to repeat what he'd heard.

Before long, with a little help from his mother and older brother, Michael was chanting "Hero", while the older members of the Jareau family laughed.

"Yes," she said mostly to herself, as her sons continued to entertain her. "Yes, your Aunt Emily is definitely a hero."

R-C

The air was cold, blowing snow around her face and neck but she didn't mind. If they were outside it meant the team in JJ's room was safe and so were the dozens of men, women and children who likely would have been killed or injured if Novak had detonated his device in a tightly enclosed space.

When they were close enough to his vehicle that Novak was reaching into his pocket for the keys Emily took advantage. "You know Anthony, I feel it's only right that I tell you the truth."

Standing in front of an expensive sedan his hands shook, causing the keys to rattle. His gun was now sitting untouched on the trunk. "Truth?"

"Yes," she admitted calmly. "I lied to you in the hospital and now I feel it's only fair that we set the record straight."

"Lies!?" he shouted, dropping the keys and reaching for his gun.

"I'm not an Interpol agent Anthony." She allowed that to set in and then she nudged him further. "I mean I was, but I quit this morning. Do you understand what that means?" He said nothing, but she was more than happy to explain to the killer. "It means Anthony that you missed your chance! The hospital is on lock-down, the FBI is hunting for you and they will catch you."

He pointed his shaking gun at his unbothered captive. "I've still got you!"

Emily laughed bitterly. "Yes, one meaningless woman. I've already told you, I don't work for Interpol. Contrary to what you may have seen in the movies or on TV I have no value information in my head, and there is no one in my life who would even pay a ransom. I'm all you've got and I'm not worth anything to anybody. Go ahead, shoot me, blow us up, no one will miss either one of us and you know it!"

Emily knew she was taking a risk, but it seemed worthwhile. Now, out in the cold, in the open, on the roof of a parking garage, she thought she had reasonable chances. The team, JJ and the boys were safe. If the device detonated now, only two people would die, her and Novak. That was a vast improvement over the casualty count if he had released the trigger in JJ's room. By now she knew Hotch and the others were looking for them, she just needed to buy a bit more time.

It occurred to her as she contemplated her plan that if she died now, she'd never get to figure out what if anything JJ meant by that kiss. It replayed in her mind, and Emily needed all her faculties to keep from getting lost in the memory. Now was not the time, her life was on the line. Still, she remembered it, It was perfection and while she suspected it wasn't as meaningful to JJ, it certainly had been for her.

Her harsh words and honest admissions served their purpose and divided Novak's focus. When his shaking hand lowered the gun, she pounced, rushing at him and tackling him with as much force as she could muster. They collided hard and her ears began to ring as Novak fired off a round wildly on their way to the ground. The gun slid across the pavement and out of reach, so Emily went for the detonator. Both of her hands clamped down on his, keeping the button pressed. She kneed him in the groin as they battled over the deadly device and Emily took morbid pleasure as the man cried out in pain.

As they fought Emily heard the approaching footsteps. She knew help was near, but she didn't need it. She had her hands on the man who had shot JJ, who had terrified Henry and Michael and who had threatened to blow up all the people she cared about most. With one hand she kept the butto4n on the detonator depressed, avoiding an explosion, while her other hand struck Novak in the head and face again and again, releasing all her pent up aggression.

Rossi and Alvez removed Emily from atop her beaten opponent only when Lewis had the detonator secure in her steady hands.

"The bomb squad is on the way," Reid told them all as they stood around, looking at the man who had done so much damage in his quest to be famous.

"Emily, why don't you go check on JJ and the boys. Rossi, go with her and let the head of hospital security know he can lift the lock-down."

Side by side, walking along the manicured path that led to the hospital's south entrance Rossi gave her a piece of his mind. "That was completely and totally reckless Prentiss. Did you think for half a second about what could have happened to you?"

"No," she announced truthfully. "I was thinking about JJ and her kids and everyone else in that hospital."

"Well," he said putting an arm across her shoulders. "While you were thinking about them, I was worrying about you."

"I had to do something Rossi…" she started to say.

"I know and as crazy as it was, it was also brave and honorable. You really are quite a puzzle Emily Prentiss," he told her before he opened the door and gestured for her to go first.

"Someone has to keep you on your toes, old man."

R-C

JJ knew when it was over, because Garcia called from her lair in Quantico, making use of the room's landline. She relayed for JJ what she'd seen in the camera footage from the parking garage.

Even knowing that Emily was safe, JJ didn't feel physical relief until she saw the brunette with her own eyes. They shared a look, JJ from the bed, Emily standing in the doorway and even without words, plenty was said between them. Upon noticing her, both Henry and Michael slid off the bed and hurried to hug their aunt, kissing her cheeks and telling her how worried they were.

While JJ watched, Emily escorted her sons back to the bed. On the way, Henry and Michael informed her of the newest title they bestowed upon her. "Auntie Em," Henry told her simply, "you're a hero!"

She stopped walking and squatted down next to him while JJ had to fight back a smile. "What was that buddy?"

"Hero, her-o, hero!" Michael chanted as he'd done earlier and Emily's head whipped around to face the youngest Jareau

"You saved us, so that makes you a hero like momma," Henry explained to the stunned woman.

A tiny chuckle escaped her lips and JJ couldn't hide her amusement. "Can't argue with that logic."

Looking entirely unsure of how to handle the situation, Emily surprised JJ by pulling each of the boys in for a tight hug. She kissed blond heads and thanked them in turn before she released them and nudged them toward their mother.

"They are such incredible boys," she said to JJ without warning. "You've done really great with them."

"I have done my best," she said quietly, "but in this case, they didn't need any prodding from me. As soon as Henry realized you put yourself in danger to save everyone else, he declared you his hero, and Michael and I couldn't disagree."

"Jayje, I just did what anyone else would have done in the same spot. I did what you would have done."

"No," JJ disagreed. "No, I wouldn't have left you helpless on the bed without a word. I would have said something before I left, something so you knew that I cared. I was stuck here, worrying, wondering what was happening to you, wondering if I'd ever get to find out…" her words trailed off and the pale cheeks turned fire-engine red.

Even before seeing her friend's obvious embarrassment, Emily had been repentant. She hadn't wanted Novak to see how much she cared about the others, so she hid behind a mask of detachment when she was anything but. "JJ, I needed Novak to believe me, so I couldn't answer you, but believe me I wanted to."

JJ gave her friend a smile. "You did?"

"I'm sorry I had to leave the way I did," Emily confessed quietly.

Reid poked his head in from the hallway. "Novak is being processed, the bomb squad got him safely out of the vest and no one was hurt."

"That's great Spence," JJ answered, feeling relief.

"Want me to take the boys for dinner?" he offered, bending down to hug his godson who had come running over, a toy truck in hand.

JJ looked to Emily and then Spence. "Sure," she agreed. "They've spent far too much time in the hospital. They deserve a chance to get out of here for a few hours." Propping herself up on her elbow, JJ felt a wave of pain. Immediately Emily was there, supporting her, and helping as best as she could. "You boys want to go have dinner with Uncle Spence?"

The cheers and the laughter that followed brought the nurse to the door with a reprimand, but it was toothless as she smiled and waved at Michael the entire time.

Alone, Emily sat as close to JJ's bed as she could get, holding her hand. "I really am sorry Jayje," she admitted lowly. "I just didn't want anybody else to get hurt."

JJ understood that, and she knew from experience that Emily's first instinct would always be self-sacrifice, but that didn't make it any easier. "What about you Em?" she challenged. "What if something happened to you?"

Suddenly dark eyes were bright and Emily was pointing. "Oh yeah, what were you saying before? If the roles had been reversed?"

JJ knew exactly what Emily was referring to and her cheeks heated up again in response. She was at a crossroads and she knew it. On one hand if she answered, it could ruin everything, but on the other if she didn't, they'd likely never speak of it again. Both outcomes were terrifying and JJ began to wonder which she'd hate more? Which could she live with?

"Oh that, that was nothing," she said, trying to appear casual as she brushed it off.

"Are you sure? You were pretty upset, Jennifer."

This was it, her moment of truth. Before she could stop herself with common sense, or do something drastic like bite her tongue she pushed the words out. "I had this really weird dream before," she explained, "it felt so real."

"About what?"

"I kissed you," JJ admitted, covering her face in her hand for a moment as she struggled to limit her embarrassment. "I don't know if it's the medication or what, but it seemed so real Em, and I was thinking that if you got hurt out there today, I wouldn't have ever known if the kiss was real or not. Can you believe that? How selfish am I?" She hung her head, mortified of all she just admitted.

Emily's voice was soft, but clear. "It wasn't."

"Wasn't what?" JJ wondered, speaking into her hand as she continued to blush.

"It wasn't a dream JJ, not unless I had the very same, very vivid dream."

The hand she was hiding behind fell away and JJ's blue eyes locked on Emily. "You're saying… the ki… it was real… it really happened?"

"It really happened," Emily agreed, privately enjoying the way JJ looked when she was totally flustered. It was adorable.

"Me and you?" JJ clarified.

Taking pity of her friend Emily squeezed her hand. "JJ, you were on a lot of medication. It's no big deal. I didn't think you'd even remember it at all, which is why I hadn't mentioned it."

JJ shook her head, sending hair flying in front of her face that she didn't bother to brush away. "I kissed you and that's no big deal? If that's true I'm afraid to see what actually qualifies as a big deal for you."

"Jennifer, it was…"

"That was so not how I imagined it happening."

Emily's mouth opened, to release standard reassurances but stopped short when JJ's most recent words hit home. "Wait, how you imagined it? You've been imagining yourself kissing me?"

Having already come so far, JJ knew she couldn't stop. She'd already admitted too much for their relationship to just return to what it had been. Her only chance now was to tell Emily everything and hope for the best.

"It crossed my mind once or twice," she admitted quietly.

"JJ, I had no idea."

"Neither did I," JJ hurried to insist. "It's just that since you've been back I've had some feelings that I didn't before and after all the memories…"

"What memories?" Emily asked, giving Jen a smile when she was uncertain if she could continue.

"When I was unconscious I had these weird memories or dreams or something, but you were in most of them," she explained, feeling more horrified with every word.

"That's why you said my name," Emily whispered, going back in her mind. "That's why you kissed me."

"You kissed me back," JJ reminded her harshly, deciding she shouldn't be the only one in the room feeling guilty. "You kissed me too Emily, I remember so don't you dare try to deny it."

Emily held up her hands and shook her head, smiling as she did. "No denials here Jennifer. Of course, I kissed you back, I've wanted to kiss you since the first day I met you and I finally got a chance."

"Real… wh…what? Really?" she quizzed, her disbelief clear in her tone and on her face.

"Yes really," she confirmed.

"Wow," JJ said, feeling herself smile.

Emily gave her hand another squeeze. "That's what you said earlier too," she teased.

"Remind me," JJ insisted, leaning up out of the bed and capturing Emily's lips with her own before the older woman could protest.


	11. Chapter 11

JJ smiled as she laid back on the couch. Her wound was tender and she wouldn't be back to one-hundred percent for a few more weeks but she was improving everyday and Emily kept calling that progress, even if JJ wasn't quite so sure. Despite all that happened JJ still felt bad about being at home and away from the team. Hotch had already given her time off when he found out about Will and the boys, and now after only one case she was gone again. With the exception of her time on maternity leave, she'd never taken more than three consecutive days off, in any of the years she worked for the BAU.

On the upside, she had Emily. Emily who insisted on staying in JJ's guestroom to take care of her as she recovered, who cooked dinner every night and made simple things like spaghetti or chicken nuggets seem like a five-course meal. She even managed to get Henry to eat his vegetables. A feat rarely accomplished.

Although they had spent most of their time together since JJ was released from the hospital, they hadn't once spoken about what happened there. The kisses continued, some gentle and romantic, others passionate and desperate but it never went further. JJ was eager, and beyond willing but Emily wouldn't allow it, insisting she didn't want to risk hurting the blonde. As she remembered the feel of Emily's lips against hers that morning JJ decided a little pain might be well worth it.

She knew they'd eventually need to discuss it, but JJ didn't feel rushed and she suspected Emily didn't either. For her, she was content for the first time in years and that was more than enough for now. London, Megan, Will, Melissa, work and the boys – they had no shortage of things to discuss and work out, but mercifully it didn't have to be today.

Today, the boys were with their Aunt Emily at the park, running around, burning off some of the excess energy only little boys somehow possess. JJ had wanted to join them, but Emily all but demanded she stay home and rest. She didn't expect them home for a couple of hours as she knew Emily planned to take them for a post-park ice cream cone before they returned. With a poorly concealed yawn JJ leaned back into her pillow. While she'd never admit it to Emily, she wasn't ready to go to the park yet. Just lying in a slightly raised positon was exhausting. Closing her eyes, she pictured Emily and her sons on the swings together and smiled as she drifted off to sleep.

R-C

JJ had no idea how long she'd been asleep, but the sound of the front door opening and heavy footsteps woke her. With a grunt of effort and a whispered curse as a surge of pain hit her, JJ attempted to sit up, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

After several rapid blinks to clear her vision she expected to see Emily, gorgeous Emily with her sinfully soft hair, smooth skin and beautiful flirty smile. She expected to be joined on the couch by two excited and messy boys who wanted to tell her all about their adventures at the park, but JJ didn't get what she was expecting.

Instead Will stood before her, his arms behind his back. He was dressed as if he'd just come from work, in black dress pants and a light blue button down shirt, which he wore with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The only thing missing was his badge, which he typically wore around his neck. "Hello Jennifer," he said formally.

She took a deep breath in preparation for what was to come and it caused the pain in her chest to swell. She reached up and held the spot where the bullet had hit her, never taking her eyes off Will. "What are you doing here? How did you get in?"

He held up his right hand, a ring of keys dangling from his finger and he gave her a proud smile. "I still have my key, this is my house too, chere."

Anger burned her pain away and adrenaline coursed through her body at top speed. "No!" she shouted. "No! This is my house. I bought this house before I'd ever met you and you moved in. Your name isn't on the lease, or the loan so you can't just come marching in here like you still belong."

Will seemed surprised by her anger. He held out a hand and then pulled it back when JJ rolled her eyes and scoffed at the gesture. "JJ, come on," he pleaded, "be reasonable here. I just want to talk."

JJ looked around the room for a few seconds. "Where's Melissa? Shouldn't she be here for this?" JJ asked with no shortage of bitterness in her voice.

Will's cheeks colored but he stood his ground. "She had to fly back to New Orleans for a deposition. She'll be coming back tomorrow and we'll be going to the courthouse,"

Before she could stop herself, JJ spat her reply, "Another wedding?"

He gave her a sad smile she didn't understand. "No Jennifer. I'm going to be filing for sole custody of the boys. They need a more stable environment than you could possibly provide. Unless you are quitting the BAU? I mean you did just get shot. Do you finally understand what I've been saying all these years? Everything I was worried about came true."

She hated him in that moment. Hated him for being right. Will only knew she'd been shot. He didn't know how their children were almost blown up before Emily saved them. She could only imagine what he'd say if he knew that little fact. Tears burned in the back of her eyes but she was adamant not let a single one fall in Will's presence. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

Steeling herself she shook her head. "So, what you came here to rub my face in it? To tell me you're going to take the boys away from me, again!"

Her last word was uttered with so much venom Will visibly recoiled. It took him several seconds to recover. "I came here to ask you not to fight the my claim for custody. You can see the boys in New Orleans whenever you want, but you've got to know it's better for them there." When she said nothing, he threw up his hands. "Jesus Jennifer, you just got shot for God's sake. What else has to happen before you get the message? Do you need to die? The boys shouldn't have to be passed around from babysitter to babysitter while you're off with the BAU chasing killers."

Furious she couldn't hold her tongue. "Yes Will, my job requires me to travel. That's how we met remember? You knew about my job when we met, you knew about it when you asked me to go on a date, you knew about it when you moved in too, and each and every time you asked me to marry you, so guess what, you don't get to hold that over my head now. You knew who I was and what I did and now you want to pretend that my job's the problem."

"Your job is the problem!" he shouted back. "It's always been the problem."

She laughed humorlessly. "You know, you should really be thanking me," she told him coldly. "If I wasn't gone all the time, with the BAU, chasing killers, you wouldn't have had free-reign to meet and fuck Melissa." She gagged as she tried not to picture them together. "Just think of how much harder it would have been to sneak around if I was actually home."

For a moment, Will actually looked repentant. "JJ…"

JJ had no interest in hearing what he had to say. "Listen Will, I am not leaving the BAU and I'm not just going to sit back and let you take the boys away from me either. If you want joint custody, we can iron out the details, but I'm not going to sign over my sons so you and Melissa can play house."

Will looked annoyed by his inability to sway her. "We'll see what the judge says once he hears how frequently you're gone. Who's been watching the boys since I left anyway?"

The question brought Emily to the forefront of JJ's mind and the blonde smiled. "Emily has. The boys love her and she's great with them, so they won't be passed around from babysitter to babysitter, Emily's family."

Enraged now, Will swung his hand, knocked Henry's Lego off the table and onto the floor, breaking what had been a half-completed castle. "She is not your family, I was your family, the boys were your family. The BAU, those people, they are co-workers, it's a job, not a family. Why can't you fucking understand that?"

The door swung open widely, hitting the wall with force as Henry rushed in ahead of the others. "Momma, Momma, Auntie Em bought us ice cream."

With one final glare at her husband JJ turned to Henry and smiled wide. "That sounds great buddy, did you guys have fun at the park?"

Henry was just about to speak when he noticed his father. "Daddy, you're here too?" His blue eyes moved to the table and he noticed his Legos were no longer where he and Aunt Em had left them. "What happened to my castle," he yelled, looking over top of the table and seeing the mess of broken blocks on the floor.

JJ and Will looked at one another and when it was clear Will wasn't going to speak up, JJ did. "I'm sorry sweetie, it's my fault," she lied. "I was taking a nap and when I woke up, I knocked your castle over by accident, I'm very sorry." With sniffles Henry fought his emotions, clearly trying not to cry. His little lip quivered and JJ felt nothing but anger for Will. "I'll tell you what," she bargained. "After dinner, you Auntie Em and I will build an even bigger castle and we'll have snacks and you can even stay up past your bedtime to work on it."

This seemed to placate Henry, but he still looked heartbroken. While Will greeted his son, Michael arrived with ice cream staining his hands and face. Emily rushed in a step behind him and scooped him up just feet from the couch, where he intended to add ice cream to the leather. "Oh, no you don't you little monster. You need to get washed up before you go play, otherwise you'll get ice cream all over your toy…" she trailed off, her dark eyes shifting from JJ to Will. "You okay here Jayje?"

"I'm fine," she said calmly. "Will was just leaving."

Will who had taken a seat and had Henry on his lap, shouted, scaring his son, "No! I wasn't leaving, we were still talking." Looking to his mother for help Henry tried to slip off his dad's lap, but was held in place by an arm.

"Henry," JJ said in her kindest voice, "can you take your brother into the bathroom to wash his hands and face? I'll be in to help in a minute."

This time when Henry tried to escape, Will released him. Emily gently set Michael back on his feet and Henry led him down the hall.

Once the adults were alone, all pretenses of politeness vanished. JJ's smile, the one she'd been wearing for the boys, disappeared and her blue eyes hardened to ice. At the same time, Will and Emily glared at each other with open contempt. "You were leaving Will," JJ told him. "You came to deliver a message and you've done it, now go."

He peeled his eyes off Emily and his expression didn't soften as he looked at his wife. "I was serious Jennifer. We're going first thing in the morning. You'll have the paperwork by the close of business tomorrow. It's a done deal. I suggest you come to peace with that."

JJ who had been strong through the entire conversation, finally cracked. The weakness she'd lived with for months while the boys were gone was back in full force and she felt helpless and pitiful. A tear broke through and slid down her cheek. Emily saw it, Will saw it, and JJ felt it. It turned her stomach.

Movement caught her attention and she saw Emily moving toward the couch, then stopping herself, as if she thought better of it. Instead the two shared a small, sad smile before Emily turned her focus elsewhere.

Without warning she grabbed Will by the upper arm and dragged him to the door. "Time for you to go!" she told him as they moved together.

"That's not up to you!" he spat back.

"Today it is," she announced loudly, before her voice lowered to a whisper. With her mouth hovering near his ear she delivered her threat. "If you ever make her cry again, I'll kill you." It was calm, and cold and unarguably serious.

She let him go and Will opened the door and stepped outside. Emily looked over her shoulder at JJ for an instant before she followed after Will.

Alone in her living room JJ got up, and wiped her face before she headed down the hall toward her sons.

R-C

"You're still here?" Will questioned when they were alone together in the cold. Her only reply was a devious smirk and a tilt of her head. "You think you can just threaten me and get away with it huh? You come to my house, you hold me at gunpoint and you take my children from me. You should be in prison."

"Think they'd let us share a cell?" she countered with a laugh. "I mean you did kidnap them first. Or maybe I could room with Melissa, I'll be honest with you Will, I can see the appeal, she's beautiful but you were a fool to leave JJ and we both know it."

He looked furious and Emily enjoyed it. "I took my children on vacation."

"You stole them away from their mother, and I have it all on tape."

"I was under duress, that's inadmissible," he declared. "You had a gun, I would have said anything to save my life and that of my family."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Had that one ready and waiting huh? How long have you been holding that one in, just waiting for your chance to say it? Been practicing in front of the mirror for your big day in court?"

"I'm their father, they should be with me."

"I'm not going to let that happen," Emily replied confidently, showing no weakness as she stared down Will.

"Go home Emily. Go back to London," Will suggested forcefully. "Otherwise your bosses at Interpol might learn about the crimes you committed in New Orleans. What would they think? What would that do to your career?" He stepped down onto a lower step and looked back at Emily with a satisfied grin. "This is a family matter Emily, you wouldn't understand, it doesn't concern you."

Ignoring the dig about her lack of family Emily followed Will down to the same step so she could infiltrate his personal space. "You know what Will, go ahead. Call Interpol, would you like me to dial the number for you?" She held out her phone to taunt him further. "Before we do that though you should probably know, I don't think they give a shit what I do. After all, I don't work for them anymore." She took a second to appreciate his shock before she pushed on. "I also won't be returning to London, so if I were you, I'd get used to seeing me around, because I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be here and very much involved for as long as JJ wants or needs me to be."

With a knowing smirk, Will spit onto the grass to Emily's right. "You'd love that, wouldn't you?"

"Excuse me?"

"To ride in and save the day, how very romantic, but I don't think it'll work out the way you want."

Emily smiled, thinking of all the times JJ had kissed her since that first time. She almost wanted to tell him about it just to wipe that look off his face, but she couldn't do that to JJ so she bit the inside of her cheek instead.

Taking the silence as weakness Will pounced. "You don't think I can see the way you look at her, the way you stare? You hover around her, always close enough to touch, too bad she isn't yours. You don't belong here."

"I'm not the one who was asked to leave," Emily reminded him with a smug look of her own. "I live here now, you don't," she added just to spite him. "You know Will, if it were up to me, I'd just shoot you and be done with it, but JJ has a kind heart and she's willing to tolerate you. That being said, I won't allow you to hurt or upset her or the boys, ever again." She leaned close again and took hold of his arm as she'd done in the house. "I meant what I said, I'll kill you if I have to," she vowed.

Will pulled his arm away roughly and finished the journey down the stairs. Emily continued to follow him. Halfway to his car he turned back and shot Emily a look of disgust. "I won't let you live in my house, with my wife and my kids, that's never going to happen."

"Wouldn't be so sure," Emily retorted, "I'm already there."

"Yeah, over my dead body," Will called back as he closed his car door.

Emily was beside him in an instant, leaning in the driver's side window. "If that's what it takes, so be it," she told him flatly, before she stepped back and allowed him to leave.

Inside the house, Emily found JJ cuddling with the boys on the couch. A cartoon was playing on TV but none of the Jareaus were watching it. "Everything okay?" JJ asked cautiously.

"Of course," Emily responded. "Will and I just needed to discuss a few things."

"I bet," JJ said with a knowing look. "No bloodshed I hope?"

"Not a drop," Emily answered, taking her seat next to Henry and filling up the entirety of the couch with three tightly packed blondes and one brunette.

R-C

JJ could feel the tension in the house as she put Henry to bed. Michael was already sleeping, but just as she'd promised she let Henry stay up later than usual to work on his newest Lego creation. The night had been fun and there was no shortage of tender moments or laughs but both adults knew a serious conversation was looming.

"What did he want?" Emily asked as JJ met her in the living room. A bottle of water was waiting for her and Jen took it, dropping a grateful kiss on her lover's cheek in thanks.

"To tell me he's going to take the boys from me," she answered, sounding already defeated.

Emily reached out and took her hand, a gesture she welcomed. The heat of the older woman's touch slowed her speeding heart and calmed her frantic mind. "I won't let that happen," she promised.

The tears she'd been holding back, finally destroyed the dam holding them back and JJ couldn't help but let them out. "He says… that… that he… Melissa is going to … file papers… tomorrow," she explained between sobs.

Emily pulled her into a hug and held on tight. "I promise, we'll fight it. We'll fight it and we'll win. I won't let anyone take your boys from you."

"He's right," she said sadly, "about everything. My job is too dangerous, and I'm gone too much. I'm not a good mother and the boys need stability." She counted each fault on her fingers as she recited all the areas in which Will claimed she was lacking.

"You aren't a good mother JJ, you're a great mother and Henry and Michael are lucky to have you. It really isn't that complicated. Yes, your job is dangerous, but that doesn't disqualify you from being a mother. You do travel a lot," Emily agreed, "but that's not an issue for the time being since I'm here. The boys do need stability, and they will get it, from you, here, in their home, as it should be."

JJ pulled back and kissed Emily's lips, tasting the saltiness of her own tears as she leaned in and used her tongue to deepen the passion. Everything was falling apart and somehow Emily knew just what to say to make it better. How did she ever get so lucky?

"I can't fight him," she admitted after the kiss was over. "I don't have a lawyer, I'm not ready for this. I don't even have a plan."

Emily gave her a look that was a mixture of incredulous and annoyed. It was an odd combination that JJ didn't understand or like. "You never listened to it, did you?"

Her confusion grew. "Listened to what?"

Emily sighed dramatically, but took some of the sting out by taking hold of JJ's hand. She rubbed the back with her thumb. "The night I brought the boys home, I left a voice recorder here, remember? Did you ever play it?"

JJ thought for a minute. Had she? That night had been so emotional and intense. She did remember the recording but not its contents. In a flash of recognition, she recalled how she put the recorder in her gun safe and it hadn't moved since. "I didn't," she confessed quietly, almost embarrassed. "I was so happy the boys were home the recording didn't seem to matter at the time, and then everything else happened and I forgot about it. Why what's on it? How does it help?"

"Go get it," Emily suggested, giving JJ a playful nudge that sent both women rocking gently. "I need to make a couple of quick phone calls."

"Who are you calling?"

She swatted at the blonde and hit her ass with the back of her hand. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

R-C

Garcia was in the middle of a marathon of television. She'd been working so much lately that her PVR was dangerous close to being full of unwatched greatness that her eyeballs were desperate to see. Armed with a tub of popcorn and a bottle of exceptional wine, she sat curled up on her couch, savoring the peace and quiet.

When the phone rang, she wanted to curse, but didn't. Seeing Emily's name on her display though, had her anger melting into worry fast. Had something happened to JJ. She opened her phone. "Emily!?"

"JJ's fine," Emily said in greeting, obviously predicting where Garcia's mind had gone. The analyst let out a sigh of relief. "That's great news, but then it begs the question why are you calling me at nearly midnight on a Saturday? Oh let me guess, you've got a hot date and you need romantic advice?"

She could hear the smile in her friend's voice. "Not tonight PG. Will came by JJ's place today, he's threatening to fight for custody of the boys. I don't know, but JJ seems to think he's serious. Do you think you can do a little digging and see if there is any dirt we don't know about, and check out that girlfriend of his too, please?"

Garcia resisted the urge to clap only barely, needing to hold the phone to her ear. "I thought you'd never ask. Seriously I've been waiting for someone to ask me to do this for ages! I'll get right on it."

"You're the greatest Penelope and JJ and I are both lucky to have you in our lives."

She laughed at the compliment that was both sweet and true. "I'll do some digging and get back to you. You go talk our girl off the ledge, because I'm sure she's a mess right now."

Emily agreed. "She is. Thanks Garcia."

R-C

Hanging up the phone, Emily wanted to go to JJ. Garcia was right, she was a mess and Emily wanted to be there to console her, but she couldn't, at least not yet. She had one more call to make first.

There were very few things and even fewer people who could make Emily Prentiss call her mother, but JJ and the boys were at the top of the list. The late hour only made the unexpected call more taboo but Emily was beyond worrying about pleasantries. Sometimes you just had to get a little messy. She'd worry about the fallout later.

R-C

The two women met in the dining room. JJ was sitting in one of the chairs looking at the recording device as if it might attack. Emily took the seat right next to her and laid a hand over JJ's, noticing how it shook. "No matter what, I'm going to be right here with you."

JJ turned in her seat and their eyes met. Emily could see she'd been crying. Red rings surrounded her eyes, and her cheeks were spotted with color. Streaks lined her face, showing the routes of previous tears and the startling blue of her eyes was glassy, threatening more tears to come. "I don't know what to do," she admitted.

Pushing out her chair a bit, separating it from the table, Emily opened her arms and invited JJ in. The blonde was out of her seat quickly, her face distorted in pain from both the emotional and the physical. Emily helped to support her body as much as she could, incredibly aware of JJ's injury.

That sat together like that for a long while, with Emily rocking JJ like a child. After a stretch of quiet the crying had stopped, the sobs had slowed and her breathing had settled. Emily reached out for the recording device and after getting a subtle but real nod from JJ she pressed play.

R-C

When the recording stopped, JJ could only shake her head. A few random tears had escaped while it played and she was angry at herself for being upset. They were just words and she'd heard them all before. "I know," she said as she stood up too quickly and had to grasp her chest in pain.

Emily was beside her immediately, grabbing JJ and helping her down into the chair they'd just vacated. "Relax Jayje. You're allowed to be upset, but please be careful, you're still recovering."

The word 'please', and the concern she heard dripping from Emily's tone made it impossible for JJ to refuse. She tried to make her point for the second time. "I know it shouldn't bother me, but it does. Hearing them say that I'm a bad mother, hearing what they really think of me. He's the father of my child," she added as an afterthought.

"He never deserved you," Emily said before she laid a kiss on JJ's lips. "I don't either, but he certainly didn't."

JJ smiled for an instant, enjoying the taste that was uniquely Emily. All too quickly that bubble of perfection popped and reality seeped in. She thought of Will, of Melissa, and the court, lawyers, the judge, and the witnesses. She shivered as she tried to picture what would happen if Will found out about Emily, and JJ's growing feelings for her.

She looked at the brunette and couldn't help but smile, despite her fears. Proof of Emily's feelings were evident on the recording, every time she defended JJ, or her abilities as a mother. Emily was her champion, protecting and defending her against all attackers and that made her feel even worse about what she needed to say next. "Em," she began softly.

The older woman's head snapped up, confirming that like JJ she'd been lost in thought for a time. "Hmm?"

Hoping to lessen the blow JJ reached out and took Emily's hand. "Em, this thing between us, whatever it is."

She watched as Emily tensed at her words, and tried to pull her hand back without being too obvious about it, but JJ wouldn't let her go. "Jennifer, you don't have to say anything. It's okay."

JJ shook her head. It wasn't okay and she did need to say it. It also struck her how different her full name sounded coming from Emily, compared to when Will said the same thing just hours earlier. One turned her stomach while the other got an entirely different response from her body. "No, no, you don't understand and it's not okay." She saw Emily preparing to speak so she rushed ahead. "Whatever this is," she said, using a hand to gesture between the two of them, "it's good, it's the best thing that's happened to me in a long time and I don't want to let it go." Hearing her own words, she hated how desperate and needy she sounded. "Of course, I know you'll need to go back to London, to Interpol and Megan and everything, but what I'm trying to say is that whatever this is, for as long as it lasts, it's good and I'm glad it happened."

Emily, who was typically so composed, blushed at the compliments and JJ took that as a good sign. Her expression was unique, like she was eager to share information, while at the same time waiting for the other shoe to drop. "I sense a 'but' coming."

JJ smiled at her friend sadly. "But," she said moving her thumb over Emily's hand, "I don't think Will or his lawyer will be as pleased with the turn of events as I am. I know how it sounds, but I'm afraid if they find out…" her words trailed off because she didn't dare to finish that thought.

"Okay," she said, taking a step back. "Okay then, we'll go back to being friends, like before. It's no big deal."

JJ wanted to scream. The tone of Emily's voice, no matter how hard she tried to hide it, proved it was very much a big deal, regardless of her words. JJ wanted to shake the taller woman. Why did she have to assume the worst? "That's not what I want," JJ tried with a sigh.

"I understand," Emily interrupted, "but it's what we need to do."

JJ was slightly pleased by the use of the word 'we', but didn't get to dwell on it. "No Emily, that's not what I'm saying at all." Getting up from her seat she walked to the brunette and wrapped her in her arms. She spoke into her chest, feeling the warmth of her embrace as they both vibrated with each word. "Em, I want this, I want you, but I'm just not ready for the world to know yet."

When Emily looked down at her, and JJ looked up, the mask was gone. JJ saw unvarnished happiness in the other woman. "Really? JJ, are you sure?6 I don't want to be… I can't be the reason you lose the boys."

"I'm not letting the boys go without a fight," she decided, her voice instantly hardening as she reached a decision. She tightened her grip on Emily and admitted the truth as she knew it. "I'm not sure I can do this without you. I know it's not fair of me to ask, but can you stay a little while longer?"

Emily pulled back and gave her a soft kiss. She pulled JJ to the living room and all but pushed her down onto the couch. Helping her lay down she placed a kiss on JJ's forehead, then her lips before she sat down at the far end, and pulled JJ's feet into her lap. Slowly, with a firm touch she began massaging the muscles. Only once JJ had begun to relax did either of them speak. "I will be here," Emily promised, "for as long as you want or need me to be."

More than pleased by that answer JJ allowed herself a moment to bask in the warmth she felt, before it too was destroyed. JJ thought of London, and Megan, a woman she'd never seen but was suddenly in competition with. All too clearly, she imagined what the other woman would be like, beautiful, strong, confident and exactly Emily's type. Without realizing it JJ had compared herself to the phantom and found herself wanting. "I doubt Megan would approve of that," JJ said, using her foot to kick Emily playfully, an attempt to lighten the mood, and make her serious question, sound more casual than it truly was.

Emily looked up from JJ's feet and smiled. "Actually, since Megan and I are no longer seeing one another, I doubt she cares how long I stay." With an even wider smile, she added, "In fact I bet she'd probably prefer if I never went back to London at all."

JJ was a conflicted mess of relief and guilt and she hated herself for it. She shouldn't be glad Emily and Megan broke up, but a part of her was and she couldn't deny it. Still she tried to comfort her friend. "I'm sorry Em, please tell me that she didn't break up with you because you came here to help me. If this is my fault…"

"It's not your fault," Emily assured her. "I broke up with Megan while you were in the hospital." JJ immediately wondered if it was before or after their first kiss and apparently, she was transparent, because Emily answered without being asked. "It was before we caught Novak. It was never serious with Megan, but I couldn't lead her on, not when I knew my feelings for you were the only ones that mattered."

"Emily, you shouldn't have. Once you go back to London…"

"I'm not going back," Emily said, stunning JJ so much she didn't mind being interrupted.

"What!" she yelled, temporarily forgetting about her sleeping sons.

Emily chuckled, clearly enjoying JJ's reactions. "I resigned from Interpol," she explained, "before I broke up with Megan. I realized that this is where I belonged, and that I didn't really want to return to London." She paused and then her voice grew even more sincere. "I'm not trying to trap you into anything here Jayje," she explained in a rush. "I'm here to help, but if that's all there is, that's fine, I'll still be here. I wanted to come home, but that doesn't mean that you have to be with me or anything."

"I want to be," JJ said quickly, eager to reassure Emily and end any doubt she had on the subject. "I want to, believe me, but I'm a little out of my element here. I've never done anything like this before and I'm unsure."

"You can set the pace. I won't rush you. I'm just your friend who is helping you care for your children, that's all anybody needs to know and it has the added benefit of being true."

"A friend I kiss," JJ pointed out, before she sighed. "I'm sorry Em, you don't deserve this. I'm just afraid Will would use you to hurt me and take the boys if he knew."

"It's fine Jennifer," she declared. "What happens in this house is nobody's business but ours. Outside, to the rest of the world, we'll be friends, nothing more. No one needs to know and nothing needs to happen, unless you want it to."

JJ could see how far Emily was going to try and make this easier on her, and it only made it harder to resist the older woman. "What if I want to join you in the guest bedroom and cuddle up to you for the rest of the night?"

Emily answered as if it were the most obvious and natural thing in the world. "Then that's exactly what we'll do."

R-C

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, commented or followed this story. Apparently there is a lot more interest in this story than I realized and I'm grateful for that. I hope you all enjoy the rest of what I have planned.

Russell Craig


	12. Chapter 12

Emily woke for the first time just as the earliest rays of sunlight were beginning to peak through the bedroom window. It was entirely too early and entirely too bright and even half-asleep her body still knew she didn't like it. On a typical morning, Emily would roll onto her stomach, bury her face in the nearest pillow and attempt to buy herself even a few more minutes of blissful sleep, but she couldn't do that.

She couldn't roll onto her stomach because there was something pressed tightly against her chest, something soft and incredibly warm. Forgetting about the potential of sleep she cracked an eye open and slowly began to remember the night before. Her conversation with JJ had been intense and unavoidable but the corners of her lips curled into a smile as she thought about the outcome.

After realizing who was in her arms, Emily's interest in sleep vanished completely. With both eyes open she tightened her grip on the other woman, pressing her entire body into JJ's back as the blonde slept. With a feather-light touch Emily's hand moved off JJ's stomach and skated up, brushing gently over JJ's breast, feeling the steady beat of her heart as she went. Her hand stopped when she found the bandage marking JJ's latest wound. As gently as she could she peeled back the tape and checked the damage for herself. It was a small, angry looking circle, held together by thread.

She replaced the bandage and tried not to think about how much worse it could have been. If Novak hadn't wanted the big show, if he had been content to kill one FBI agent instead of wanting the whole team, JJ would likely be dead. Unsure of how to deal with her entirely new and rapidly changing emotions she took comfort in the feeling of JJ's body against hers, and more specifically in the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest. Putting her chin on Jennifer's shoulder she snuggled in close and kissed against the crease of her neck.

Slowly, as more and more sunlight poured through the window Emily allowed her mind to relax, and her body followed. She didn't know what was going to happen, and there were more unanswered questions than she had time to consider but all of that could wait. She had JJ in her arms and she was allowed to be happy about that. She was happy about that. The outside world would intervene, and likely soon but rather than prepare Emily closed her eyes, willing herself to memorize everything about the moment.

Just before she drifted off to sleep, she felt JJ squirm slightly as she adjusted herself in Emily's arms. She was about to release the blonde when she felt a soft hand against her wrist, holding it in place. Seconds later, in a sleepy, purr of a voice JJ whispered, "Em."

That was all she needed to hear. Proof that even in her most private moments, JJ was thinking of Emily as surely as Emily was thinking about her. She let the sleep have her and hoped her dreams would be a lot like her reality.

R-C

Pressure was what she felt first. Incorrectly she assumed it was pain from her gunshot wound but after a few seconds of consideration JJ realized the pressure was too low, and not sharp enough to be the pain she was used to. Before she could solve the riddle she was hit by stream after stream of hot air against the back of her neck. Subconsciously, she wiggled back into her guest, enjoying the sensations.

With a jolt JJ realized she was on a bed. She hadn't touched the bed she'd shared with Will since the day she found him and Melissa enjoying it and the thought that she was in it now turned her stomach. On the verge of panic JJ's eyes opened and took in the guest room. The arm around her waist moved slightly reminding her she wasn't alone. JJ looked down at the arm, and then over her shoulder at the person behind her, even as the movement caused pain in her chest.

Emily. She smiled and relaxed, melting into the older woman's arms. She remembered Will's visit and his threats and quickly her heart was racing as her worries multiplied. Then she remembered Emily. Emily who had gone against her wishes and done exactly what was needed to bring her boys home, Emily who sat on the floor the night before and helped JJ and Henry build a Lego castle that used nearly every colored block the boy owned. Emily who had recorded Will and Melissa and who defended her at every opportunity. She even threw Will out of the house when JJ was too distraught to do it herself. She felt safe in Emily's arms and lucky to have such a good friend… or whatever they were now that they were kissing each other.

Before she could debate the pros and cons of more sleep JJ heard the telltale sound of little feet and she knew one, but most likely two of her children were already awake. As carefully as she could, she escaped the trap of Emily's arms and stood up, stretching her back. While her body made it's first demand for coffee JJ looked back at the bed and smiled at the woman lying there.

Emily was wearing a pair of black boy shorts and a grey tank top that left a sinfully tempting sliver of her stomach exposed each time she moved. Her hair was a chaotic mess, her eyelids fluttered as she dreamed and most importantly for JJ there was an unmistakable smile on the brunette's face. She couldn't help but wonder what Emily was dreaming of and she allowed herself to consider that perhaps, it might just be her.

Before she left she covered Emily more properly with the blanket and kissed her cheek, near the corner of her mouth, the closest to her lips that JJ could reach. "Sweet dreams."

R-C

When Emily staggered down the hall an hour later, she found all her favorite people in one room waiting for her. Michael was in a highchair, playing with a plastic lion, in between bites of his French toast. Next to him, in a chair, Henry was propped on his knees, pushing his favorite car along the tabletop, making sound effects when his mouth wasn't too full. And then there was Jennifer, JJ stood at the kitchen island, cup of coffee in one hand, wearing a white robe. To Emily she looked awfully domestic and absolutely gorgeous.

"Morning sleepyhead," JJ teased as she turned away from her sons to get Emily's coffee. "How'd you sleep?"

Emily knew the question had more import than the words may have suggested. She'd been wondering what JJ was thinking since the moment she woke in the bed alone. Emily knew one of them would have to take the first step, so swallowing her fear and doubts, she smiled. "I slept great, best night sleep in ages. What about you?"

Their eyes meet and JJ who had been raising her coffee to her lips, stopped and lowered it without a taste. She smiled and Emily felt a wave of relief she wasn't expecting. "I slept great too. It was exactly what I needed."

"I slept good too Mama!" Henry added as he chewed a particularly large bite.

Both Emily and JJ laughed lightly before JJ slipped past Emily, touching her arm on her way to the table. From where she was watching Emily saw JJ saunter to the highchair and place a kiss on top of Michael's head while she playfully ruffled Henry's hair. "You guys slept good too, huh? Sounds like we all had a good night then." As she said the final words her eyes were on Emily and the brunette felt exposed and vulnerable.

"Auntie Em, we made French toasts for you, and for us too."

"Sit," JJ told her with some force. "I'll fix you some."

"You don't need to…"

"Sit!" she commanded.

Carrying her coffee mug Emily moved over to the table, passing JJ on her way. She gave each of the boys a kiss good morning and then took the chair next to Henry. The generous boy offered her his toy car to play with as she waited for her breakfast. Although she declined Emily couldn't stop the ridiculous smile from spreading across her face. Just before JJ set a plate down in front of her the Prentiss thought – so this is what its like to be in a real family?!

R-C

Emily and Jennifer worked like a well-oiled machine as they got the boys ready. After a syrupy breakfast baths were needed all around, and afterward Henry didn't like the shirt his mother picked out for him. In the end, Aunt Emily had to tell him it was her favorite of all his shirts before he would agree to wear it. A white lie, perhaps but one told for a good cause.

Since JJ was still recovering, they sat on the living room floor and played board games, until the outside world imposed. Henry and Michael, working as a team had just beat Emily and JJ for the second time in a row, when Emily's phone rang.

The adults shared a heavy look and both stood before JJ wobbled and Emily's hand darted out to steady her. Blue eyes looked at her with such desperation and Emily couldn't resist, she kissed the scared woman and told the truth. "No matter what happens, I'll be here."

Tears shined in her eyes and she sniffled slightly as she nodded. The phone was still ringing, but no one was rushing to answer it. When she finally did, Emily began with a sigh. "Yes," she said to the first question asked from the other side. She rolled her eyes dramatically at JJ and made the blonde smile as she continued to speak into the phone. "I'm sorry mother I was in the middle of something and it took a minute for me to reach the phone." After a short pause, Emily continued, "JJ and the boys are fine. We were playing a game," she admitted, waving her left hand wildly before it combed through her thick hair.

JJ knew Emily had called the Ambassador for her, and she knew how meaningful an act that was. JJ was beyond grateful. Eager to help in any way she could she rushed across the distance separating them, reached up and grabbed the hand Emily was pushing through her hair. She trapped the hand between both of hers and forced Emily's eyes on her.

"Yes mother, a game," Emily said with another sigh. "Do you have news?"

JJ was watching Emily's face for any sign that the news was either positive or negative. She should have known better, but a girl could hope. Emily Prentiss was as stoic as ever, unreadable and composed, hidden behind a mask, filling yet another compartment in her already crowded mind.

"Okay, thank you mother. Yes, please do that. We'll be here."

When Emily hung up the phone, JJ could barely control her emotions. "What is it?" she asked, unknowingly digging her nails into Emily's hand as she squeezed. "What did she say?"

"JJ, Will filed the papers this morning," she said sadly.

She shook her head as the first tear slid down her cheek. "He really did it," she said to herself. "He really thinks I'm a terrible mother."

Emily was there, kneeling in front of her, holding both of her hands so suddenly that JJ had to wonder how she got there so fast. "You're a great mother and the judge will see that. Will just wants to win to impress his lawyer girlfriend. He doesn't have a chance."

Pulling away from Emily JJ turned and began attempting to clear her face of tears. "Oh my God!" she shouted. "I don't even have a lawyer yet. I need to go get a lawyer." Before Emily could stop her, she was already halfway to the door. "Em, can you get the boy's shoes on? We need to go and find a lawyer."

Instead of doing as she was asked, Emily marched straight up to JJ and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. "Relax Jayje," she whispered against the smaller woman's ear. "The boys need you to be strong for them."

"I can't believe he did this," she sobbed into Emily's chest.

A soothing hand rubbed circles into her back. "He's a fool," she said with confidence. "It's going to be okay Jennifer, you need to trust me. Do you trust me?" The two women separated from their hug only far enough to look into one another's eyes.

"Yes, of course I trust you, but…"

Emily kissed her quickly, a soft peck, before she slipped out of JJ's arms and across the room. "You do have a lawyer Jennifer and he'll be here in an hour," she said, after looking to her watch.

"W…what?" she stumbled over the word. "How … is that even possible?"

Emily gave her an indulgent smile. "Remember those phone calls last night? I contacted my mother and she called in a favor at the courthouse so we'd know as soon as Will filed the papers. I also called a friend who happens to be a spectacular attorney and he agreed to represent you."

"Emily," JJ began as a fresh wave of tears started. "That was, entirely too generous. I couldn't possibly…"

"You can accept," Emily assured her. "Do it for the boys. We both want them to have the best life possible and you and I know that that life is here with you. It's no big deal."

"You called your mom for me," JJ countered. "It's a huge deal. And I don't know this attorney friend of yours, but I suspect he's probably the best, and likely far more expensive than I can afford."

The subtle blush of Emily's cheeks confirmed the accuracy of JJ's words. "I just want to help."

"You do help," JJ said reaching out and touching Emily's cheek. The urge to kiss her struck hard and JJ couldn't find the strength to resist. If she'd been thinking clearly, she might have reconsidered.

"Mom!" Henry called, "Why are you kissing Aunt Emily?"

The kiss ended and both women pulled away as though struck by lightening. They'd shared a couple of pecks that morning, that had apparently gone unnoticed by the boys, but that wasn't the case this time. "I'm sorry," Emily whispered, while Henry awaited an answer.

Color was beginning to return to JJ's cheeks and she went from pale to blushing red. "It's my fault," she confessed, "I kissed you."

While JJ was still trying to find the right words to explain things to her inquisitive son, Emily had no such uncertainty. The brunette rushed over to where Henry was waiting, scooped him up into her arms and tossed him playfully toward the couch. He landed with a thud and a laugh, his feet in the air and his head and shoulders on the seat. Emily grabbed him quickly, spun him around and began tickling him. While he laughed and squirmed, Emily showered the boy's face with wet kisses. "If you wanted a kiss too, you just had to ask."

Relief surged through her with so much force JJ wondered how she remained upright. She'd done it again. Somehow Emily had known exactly how to fix things. Hearing Henry's childish laughter assured JJ that his focus was entirely off the strange kiss he'd witnessed between his mother and his aunt. Emily distracted him as expertly as if she'd been doing it his whole life. JJ herself couldn't have done it any better.

When she had sufficiently wrangled the excitable boy Emily dared a glance in JJ's direction. It warmed her heart to see Emily's smile was nearly as wide and bright as Henry's. JJ caught her eye and smiled back, trying to convey how blessed she felt. "Thank you," she said in a quiet voice, just loud enough for Emily to hear it.

R-C

Her new lawyer arrived hours later. JJ was waiting in the dining room while Emily went to the door. The profiler could hear the sound of whispered voices but couldn't detect the words. JJ took it as a good sign that both Emily and the stranger were smiling when they entered the room. Seeing Emily happy, Jennifer felt herself smiling too.

"Christopher Reynolds, this is Jennifer Jareau, the friend I was telling you about."

"JJ this is Chris, the lawyer I asked to assist with your case."

Remembering her manners JJ stood and shook the lawyer's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Reynolds, and thank you for doing this. I imagine this isn't typically how you meet your clients."

The lawyer's green eyes lit up. "Oh, I never pass up a chance to pick on Prentiss. Did she tell you we are old friends?"

JJ looked at the other woman and noticed she was blushing and shyly looking at the floor, a very un-Emily like pose. "No, she neglected to mention that. Can I offer you a drink? Coffee or water?"

Emily jumped into action. "I'll get the drinks. Chris you still take your coffee the same way?"

"Always will," he answered back naturally.

Emily chuckled and disappeared into the kitchen. Once they were alone, JJ waved her hand toward the table. "Please sit, and again thank you for doing this."

They both sat down and Chris opened a briefcase she hadn't noticed him carrying. From inside he took out a pen and a large yellow pad of paper. "It really is no big deal. When Emily called I was happy to help."

While the lawyer was busy preparing JJ took the opportunity to he nosey. "So how long have you known Emily?"

He put his hand on his chin in a very refined way as he tilted his head and gave it some thought. "She was at Yale then. So it must have been…" he began muttering as he calculated.

Before he could finish Emily was back with two cups of coffee. He set them down in front of their owners. "It was a very long time ago." JJ was intrigued, she looked at the brunette with interest, her eyes shining, silently asking her to go on. "I was at Yale then, aimlessly bouncing around. I didn't belong, didn't fit in, and I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. And then…" she trailed off and threw an affectionate look at the former professor.

"And then she stumbled into my class, and we never let her leave."

She shook her head, amused by his choice of words. "I'm glad I took your class now," she confirmed, "because you're the best lawyer I know, and we need your help."

JJ took note of the word 'we' and couldn't hold back her grin. Emily was serious, they were in this together and she really was going to stay.

"Tell me about your husband," Chris said to begin the interview.

Before JJ could answer Emily did. "Ask that question after we're gone, or I'll get upset," she said only half joking.

JJ turned to her in surprise. "Where are you going? I was hoping you could watch the boys while we do this," she said gesturing to the table, the lawyer and the paper he was writing on.

"The boys and I are going toy shopping. Henry thinks we need more Lego and Michael needs a new toy to gnaw on since all of his favorites no longer have paint."

She was so serious that it almost made JJ laugh. She released a small chuckle instead and shook her head. The urge to kiss her was only kept in check by the knowledge that Chris was watching them closely. "The boys do not need new toys Emily."

Without looking back she left the room. At the base of the stairs she yelled up, "Come on boys, let's get your shoes on, the toys are waiting."

The stampede of feet and yells echoed around the house as her sons rushed toward their Aunt, desperate to find their shoes and claim the promised toys. It was too funny to grow upset about. Her children had been through a lot and they deserved the chance to have some fun.

Both Chris and Jen waited until they were alone in the house before he attempted to restart their meeting. "So Jennifer, can you tell me about your husband?"

"Call me JJ please," she answered automatically. "My marriage wasn't all bad," she said as she thought back to the beginning. "Will isn't bad either, we just wanted different things."

Chris nodded. "That's fine." He turned the page on his pad, having already filled up the first one. She wasn't aware she'd said that much, but apparently she had. "Now, in your own words tell me what happened, from the very, very beginning."

"We had a case in New Orleans, after Katrina…"

R-C

When Emily returned both boys were wearing wide smiles and carrying the newest additions to their already massive toy collection. For JJ she brought dinner.

"Is Chris gone?" she asked as she set the food down, her eyes scanning the downstairs.

"Left about an hour ago," JJ answered appearing from the guest bedroom. "Why?"

Emily abandoned the food temporarily as she crossed the room and locked JJ in her arms. "If he were here, I couldn't do this," she said slowly, drawing out each word as her mouth worked lower and lower. The kiss started light and soft but JJ seemed to want more. In an unexpected move she pushed Emily back into the nearest wall and followed after, trapping her there as their lips moved together. Her tongue forced its way into Emily's mouth and twirled around hers. By the time she was finished JJ was breathless and Emily could barely think.

"Wow," they finally said together, before JJ giggled. "I've been thinking about that all day."

Emily gave her a devious smile. "If that's what I get when I come home, I'll be going out a lot."

She was rewarded with a slap on the arm. "Do I smell dinner?" she asked abruptly. "And please tell me you didn't spoil the boys too much?"

"I'm their Aunt, it's my job," she retorted.

JJ shook her head and together they moved toward the island to spread out the food. "Come on boys, dinner time."

"What did the lawyer say?" Emily wondered as she and JJ worked side by side, building two matching plates of Chinese food, one for Henry and a much smaller version for Michael.

"Talk about it after dinner?"

Emily looked up from where she was now making her own plate. "Of course."

The knock on the door interrupted their meal and both JJ and Emily tensed when they heard it. JJ was the first to start to get up, but Emily held out a hand and stilled her. "Stay and eat, I've got it."

She arrived at the door just as someone was knocking for a second time. She opened it and saw a young man, a teenager really, wearing a wool cap and a thick winter coat with fur in the lining. "Can I help you?" she asked as he shifted from one foot to the other on the front step.

"Are you Jennifer Jareau-LaMontange?" he asked, reading from the envelope he was holding.

"I can sign for it, if you like," she offered, reaching into her pocket for a tip.

The boy gave her an understanding smile. "That's kind of you but I'm afraid I can only deliver this to Mrs. Jennifer Jareau-LaMontange."

Suddenly she knew exactly what was being delivered and it made Emily furious. "Jayje, this courier needs your signature," she called from the door.

When JJ arrived, she was required to provide identification before she was allowed to sign the courier's tablet and take the package. As soon as they were done, he turned and fled, hurrying to his mountain bike waiting at the curb.

JJ's hand shook as she reached for Emily's. "It's going to be okay Jay, I promise."

Her voice was empty and lost. "Why? I'm not that bad a mother, am I? Why would he…"

Emily snatched the sealed envelope from the blonde's hand. "Come on," she said strongly, "this can wait. Let's go finish eating our meal, it was good."

"I'm not hungry," she answered quickly, taking the envelope back. "Can you watch the boys for a few minutes, I just need to think."

"Sure," Emily promised, but JJ was already halfway up the long staircase. Emily stayed at the bottom until she was gone, and then she returned to the food and the boys. As she took her seat she understood JJ's sentiment. Suddenly she wasn't hungry either.

R-C

The paperwork was what everyone expected. Will was attempting to get primary custody of the boys. A court date had been set for less than a month away.

They sat on the couch, Emily with her back against the arm, and her legs stretched across the cushions. In her lap, JJ sat curled up, rocking back and forth. The boys had been in bed for an hour and now the adults had no excuse not to worry and panic.

"He really did it," JJ said in wonder, staring at, but not seeing the words of the hated letter. She tried to picture the Will she'd met, the one she loved but all she could see were his recent selfish actions.

Emily had already read, and memorized the important parts of the document. "We'll fight it. You said Chris thinks you have a strong case."

"It's only strong because you're here. With you acting as a nanny, Will's argument falls kind of flat. The boys are safe and well cared for with you. I'll just need to find a permanent nanny…"

"You don't need a nanny," Emily said with some force. "I'm here Jayje."

She scoffed. "Em, be serious. Do you want to be a glorified babysitter forever?"

"It's not forever," she corrected. "Michael will be in school soon and once that starts I'll have plenty of free time to find something to do."

JJ felt tears brimming in her eyes. "Emily I can't let you do that. It is incredible of you to offer, but you've given up enough already…"

"I haven't given up anything Jennifer," she said closing her arms tightly around the smaller woman and leaning over her shoulder for a kiss. "I am gaining more time with the people I care about most. I'm going to do whatever is necessary for you and your boys to stay together."

Her feelings for Emily grew with every word and JJ knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was falling in love with Emily. In fact, if she was honest with herself, she'd probably loved Emily for a long time. "How did I get so lucky?" she asked randomly as the cuddled together.

Emily chuckled, her hand moving through JJ's golden hair. "Funny, I was just going to ask you the same thing."

The doorbell ended the quiet and Emily insisted on getting up, even though JJ was already on her feet. Partly because she was curious, and partly because she wanted to beat Emily, JJ rushed to the door, with the brunette half a step behind. She turned the door knob and was certain she'd won when strong arms snaked around her waist and pulled her back. JJ screeched like a child as she was pried away from the door, literally kicking and screaming as she went.

As they wrestled for control, their guest pushed the door the remainder of the way, until it was fully open. JJ and Emily saw the door moving and looked out onto the front step. The fighting instantly stopped and they pulled apart, smoothing out their clothes and attempting to look like adults.

"Ambassador Prentiss," JJ said with her cheeks burning.

Next to her Emily's smile was gone and she was once again hiding behind a mask. "Mother."

R-C


	13. Chapter 13

JJ had never felt more horrified. It was as if she was a teenager again and she'd been caught by her parents, only this was worse, because it wasn't her mom who saw them, but Emily's. She kept her eyes down as she stepped aside, holding out an arm, inviting the older woman in. "Please come on in," she said quickly, rushing her words as anxiety surged through her.

The Ambassador followed into the house without a word, her shrewd eyes bouncing from her daughter to the blonde and back. JJ tried not to shrink away from the hard stare, but it was difficult. She wasn't smiling, but she didn't look horribly upset either. Now that she thought of it, JJ wasn't certain she'd ever seen the Ambassador smile. Questions rose to the forefront of her mind as the trio arrived in the living room. Did Emily's mother know about her interest in women? She tried to imagine the Ambassador's reaction to the news and she instinctively shivered.

Then her mind forced her to consider what her parents would say. Mary and Rick Jareau were kind, hard-working simple people from small town Pennsylvania, and JJ was confident they'd be more than a little surprised when their daughter visited and tried to explain the change in her sexuality. How could she explain it, when she herself didn't understand it?

"I apologize for the late hour," she said formally. "I intended to come by earlier, but something came up."

From where she'd been silent, standing next to JJ, Emily's eyes narrowed and her lips turned down. "Something always comes up," she muttered to herself, barely loud enough for JJ to hear.

JJ instantly felt terrible. She was a horrible girlfriend, or friend, or whatever she was to Emily now. Here she was, worrying about how this sudden visit was affecting her, but she hadn't considered how it was affecting Emily. Before she could think of the repercussions, or any of the logical reasons she shouldn't, she reached out and put a comforting hand on Emily's arm. The brunette turned toward her and offered a polite, stiff, and entirely fake smile, but JJ knew somewhere deep down inside Emily appreciated the gesture, the real Emily, her Emily.

When JJ's eyes turned back to the Ambassador she noticed the woman watching her intently, as though attempting to stare through her. It made her uneasy but she did her best to hide that fact. She felt like a gazelle staring down a lion, she couldn't show the slightest hint of weakness. "Please sit," she said when it occurred to her that they were all still standing.

"Thank you," Elizabeth said in response before she sat on one end of the couch.

"Can I get you something to drink?" JJ offered, feeling like the most awkward hostess ever.

"I'll get it JJ," Emily said quietly. "Sit and relax, and I'll be right back."

Before JJ could comment, Emily slipped past her, touching the small of her back as she went. When she disappeared into the kitchen JJ looked at the Ambassador and was immediately at a loss for words. "Thank you for coming by Ambassador," she said when she finally found her voice. "I imagine you have plenty of other things to do."

She sat with her hands folded in her lap, like a proper lady. "My daughter rarely calls me," she said calmly, as though it were natural to go months without speaking to your daughter. "When she does, it is usually because she wants something, in this case, she wanted help for you, which is understandable given your current situation."

JJ pretended not to notice the way the politician's voice changed. When she spoke about Emily her voice was even, but when she addressed JJ and the help Emily asked for, on her behalf, a frown appeared and her tone took on a sharper quality. While she struggled to keep her expression flat, JJ could understand why Emily was so good at wearing a mask and hiding her feelings. She'd clearly had a lot of practice.

"I appreciate that you were willing…"

"Where is my daughter?" Elizabeth asked suddenly. "Exactly how far away is your kitchen?"

JJ looked toward the room in question and her worry for Emily doubled. Was she okay? Standing up she gave the Ambassador a smile typically reserved for the media. "Please make yourself at home, and I'll go check on Emily and our coffee."

She was privately grateful for the chance to escape. When she got to the kitchen she found Emily standing there, leaning against a counter, with her arms crossed over her chest. She wasn't even pretending to make the coffee. Wordlessly JJ went to the coffee machine and turned it on. "Em," she said gently, reaching for her lover's hand, "are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," she answered automatically, a conditioned response that JJ wanted no part of.

She tightened her hold on Emily's hand and squeezed, pulling the woman away from the counter and into a fierce hug. "Don't do that," JJ whispered against the taller woman's chest, "don't hide from me."

For a few long seconds, nobody said anything. Then, after a deep breath Emily shattered the quiet. "I'm sorry," she said in a haggard whisper, "I didn't know she was coming."

JJ pulled back and noticed that Emily's eyes were shining, and her lip was shaking ever so slightly. This was real, there was no mask in place now and JJ might have felt honored, if she wasn't so heartbroken on Emily's behalf. "It's okay, I understand. Why don't you go talk to your mother?" she suggested.

"And say what? 'Hi mom, nice to see you. We should do this again, how about the same time next year, if you're not busy?'" By the end, Emily's voice had turned bitter, to JJ she sounded like an entirely different person.

JJ chuckled at Emily's dark sense of humor. Pointing in the general direction of the living room, JJ locked her eyes on Emily's and smiled. "That woman did not come here to see me Em, no matter what she says. She's here for you. Go, listen to what she has to say, and then we'll spend the rest of the night cuddling, I promise," she bargained, her bright smile turning into more of a smirk.

"Fine, but this better be quick."

R-C

Emily felt like an animal in the zoo. Caught between worried stares from JJ, and questioning glares from her mother.

They all had their coffees and were making small talk, while everyone got settled. Elizabeth asked about JJ's injury and her recovery. Emily bristled at the questions, knowing they were intended to subtly inquire about when Emily would be returning to Interpol. It turned her stomach that JJ was caught in the mess of a relationship she had with her mother. It wasn't fair in the least.

"So, they're asleep then?" Elizabeth asked, bringing Emily back into a conversation she'd obviously missed the beginning of.

"Yes, the boys went to bed about an hour before you arrived. Emily took them out earlier and I think she wore them out."

Once again Emily felt their stares. "Well, I'm sorry I missed them, as I said, I intended to be here before their bedtimes, but unfortunately something came up."

Emily had heard that line so many times it was almost engrained in her memory. Birthdays, Christmas, her one and only ballet recital, even her high school graduation, her mother had missed them all because something came up.

"Well, if you'd like to go and see them, we can," JJ offered kindly. "I was just about to go check on them anyway."

Emily knew this was a lie, but it just showed how inviting and warm JJ truly was. The Ambassador had done nothing to earn JJ's affections and yet she got them anyway. It made Emily fall in love with the other woman a little bit more, if that were possible.

The sound of people moving forced Emily into the present. "I'll take her," she offered quickly. She turned to JJ and the mask fell and her smile became sincere. "Stay and relax, I'll make sure the boys are tucked in with all the required stuffed animals."

JJ chuckled lightly. "Are you sure?"

"Rest," Emily said.

Emily could feel Elizabeth's eyes burning into them, watching and taking notice of every detail. Emily was used to it, but she felt badly for Jennifer. The Ambassador wasn't her problem to deal with.

"Come on mother," she said in a voice that sounded fake to her own ears.

She led the elder Prentiss up the staircase and when she arrived at the top, Emily turned abruptly, forcing her mother to stay a step below. "Why are you here?" Emily asked in a hard whisper, her eyes speaking more than her mouth.

"I came to check on JJ. She's been…"

Emily didn't want to hear it. It was typical of a politician, a perfect lie, told at the perfect time, with so much sincerity it could hardly be doubted, but Emily knew better. "You don't give a shit about JJ, so what's this really about?"

"You called me!" her mother reminded her bluntly.

"Yes, I did, because I needed your help, because JJ needs your help."

"My friend at the courthouse says that Will's lawyer is pushing hard for this. He also said that Will called in every favor he could to get the trial moved to the earliest possible date. I'm afraid your friend Jennifer is in the middle of a mess, dear."

Emily sighed, knowing it was true. She continued down the hall and allowed her mother to join her. Their voices lowered even further as they neared the sleeping children. "I know mother, which is why I called Chris and you for help. I'm desperate," she admitted plainly.

"Oh yes," Elizabeth said as they arrived at Henry's door. Emily pushed it open and saw the little boy's room lit by the nightlight he used. "You were going to go into politics," Elizabeth recalled, "until you took his class and got enamoured with the idea of kicking in doors and saving the day." She paused and peeked in around Emily to see Henry. When she did, the older woman smiled as surely as Emily did. Moments later when they were moving down the hall, the Ambassador restarted the conversation where she left off. "Certainly, you realize you are getting too old for those things now, right? I heard you're up for a promotion in London, a nice desk job."

Emily's blood ran cold and her footsteps stopped. "What? If you ever thought I was going into politics, you never really knew me at all."

"And the promotion?"

"How did you even hear about that?" As she asked the question she already knew the answer. John Clarke had gotten through to his mother, no doubt the highlight of his week and the low point of Emily's month.

"Does it matter, dear?" Elizabeth asked too sweetly.

"Is that what you're doing here?" she asked halfway between Henry and Michael's rooms. "You came to encourage me to take the promotion?"

"You're my daughter and I care about what happens to you."

Emily sighed and steeled herself for what was coming. "That promotion wouldn't make me happy mother," she confessed. "And since we're on the subject, London wasn't making me happy, either."

"London's a great city," her mother countered.

"Yes, it is, but it was time for a change."

"A change? You're back where you started," she spat, her voice rising in time with her frustration at her daughter's career path.

"Be quiet," Emily hissed, pushing past her mother to stick her head back into Henry's room, making sure he was still sleeping. Miraculously the boy hadn't moved, he stayed perfectly still on his side, clutching the stuffed animal his aunt had given him.

Without consideration for her mother, Emily hurried to Michael's door and found the boy stirring, whimpering as he rolled about. She hurried in and scooped up the child, rocking him gently in her arms. "Sorry about that," she whispered as his eyelids fluttered. "My mom is kinda loud," she explained as though he understood.

Elizabeth watched from the doorway, Emily could feel her eyes but pretended the woman wasn't there. As if wishful thinking could actually remove her mother from the house entirely. If that worked, her adolescence would have been a much more peaceful affair.

When Michael was settled, Emily set him back down, covered him up and kissed his forehead. Just before she left she slipped a stuffed animal between his tiny hands. "Sweet dreams kiddo," she whispered before she pivoted and found her mother's unrelenting stare locked in on her.

"You seem happy," she noticed.

Emily glared as she marched from the room and closed the door. Even in the hall she still insisted on whispering. "I am happy," she said simply, hearing the truth in her words. "I wasn't happy in London, and now that I'm back, I feel like I'm where I belong."

"What will you do? Are you going to return to the FBI?"

They were on the stairs, moving down when she answered, keeping her voice even and her eyes forward. "I don't think so." In her mind, she imagined going back. She loved the work and the people were family but JJ needed her here, at home, with the boys. None of this, she felt obligated to share with her mother though. "I think I'll just take it one day at a time, until I find something else."

"That is no way to live," her mother chastised her. This time the words barely stung. Emily was confident she was doing the right thing, for the best reasons.

They sat in the living room. Emily and Elizabeth on the couch, with no shortage of space between them, and JJ on the other side of the coffee table in a chair. The coffees were growing cold. "The boys are fine," Emily said to JJ with a smile. "Michael was a bit fussy but he settled once I picked him up."

JJ smiled. "Well, both my boys love their Aunt Emily, that's for sure."

Clearing her throat the Ambassador reminded them of her presence. "As I said to Emily upstairs, my associate at the courthouse has learned that Will is very serious about this claim, his lawyer is preparing witnesses and your husband called in every favor he could think of, to ensure the case was heard quickly. He certainly appears to be in a rush."

Emily looked at the woman she loved and felt her chest tighten. She wanted to help, but couldn't. And not just because her mother was there, but because nothing she might say could actually help. JJ was tortured by the fear of what might happen, and until it was over, that fear was going to hang over the both of them, regardless of how vigorously Emily tried to reassure her.

"Is there anything else?" JJ asked, directing the question to Elizabeth, and leaning forward, eager for the information. "Anything at all?"

"Yes, well, there was one other thing I wanted to discuss with you Jennifer. As I said, I hear your husband is rather insistent about gaining custody and I don't have to tell you how fickle our court system can be. I'm sure you've seen plenty of examples."

JJ nodded and Emily tensed as she waited for the punchline. She knew her mother, and she was working up to something, but for the life of her, Emily couldn't see what.

"Since my husband and I are so busy, and Emily is uninterested, a bulk of our assets are held in a trust." Emily scoffed as she listened and a quick glance across the table made it clear JJ was just as clueless as her.

"It's not disinterest, I just don't want the money," Emily said in an attempt to set the record straight.

"Yes, well that trust holds in addition to cash, the deeds to several properties, situated all over the world. They are rarely used, and I would be willing to allow you access to any of the properties you wished."

Emily had to fight back the urge to vomit, bile burned her throat and she could only let out a cough that sounded strangled.

"You think I should leave the country?" JJ said when she'd processed Elizabeth's words.

The elder woman shook her head and stood. "No, my dear, I am merely advising you of an option. If things in court take a negative turn, a 'Plan B' might be necessary."

Emily erupted, unable to hold it in any longer. "She is not leaving the country," she said with force, standing next to her mother. "Jennifer has a life here, a job and people who care about her. I know that's hard to fathom for people like us, but JJ's different. She deserves an honest life, not one where she's always looking over her shoulder. That isn't fair to her, or the boys."

Elizabeth was unbothered by her daughter's outburst. "I was merely telling Jennifer about another option available to her."

"I appreciate that," JJ said quickly, hoping to defuse the situation. "I hope it doesn't come to that, but I appreciate the gesture and I will consider it."

They were at the door, JJ standing sentry between the mother and daughter. "My daughter speaks very highly of you Miss Jareau," the Ambassador said formally. "She says you're the most devoted mother she's ever known and that you should be free to raise your children without fear. Think about what I've said, and thank you for allowing me to speak with you, you have a lovely home."

Emily watched her mother leave and then she looked to JJ. When they were alone, in the entryway of the house, JJ took her hand and Emily immediately squeezed, needing the connection. Before she could talk herself out of it, she released the hand and hurried out the door, catching her mother near her car. "Thank you," she said without preamble. "Thank you for helping JJ. I know you're doing it for me, so thank you."

Her mother gave her a rare smile and Emily did her best to return the expression. "You're my daughter Emily, and contrary to what you may think, I do love you. If there is anything that you, or Jennifer need, please let me know."

The two shared a hug, something they hadn't done in years. Emily was grateful for her mother's help, but their complicated history prevented her from fully acknowledging it.

She stayed in the driveway, long after her mother's car had pulled away. She crossed her arms over her chest to protect herself from the cold and she just stared at the darkness around her. She stayed there until JJ came to get her. "Come on," she said tugging on Emily's shirt. "I think I promised someone we'd cuddle."

R-C

The tension in the house was thick and days passed slowly for both of them. It was torture for Emily to watch JJ struggle with the fear of what might happen. At the same time, she had her own fears, her own doubts. Typically, they held it together well, at least until the boys went to bed. That's when the conversations grew serious and they'd whisper together about the things they were reluctant to admit. Sometimes it was on the couch, but usually they waited until they were lying together on the guest room bed.

"So, you don't think I should do it?" JJ asked.

Emily didn't need to wonder what she was referring to because this was the extension of a conversation that had been ongoing for days. "It's not that I don't think you should, it's your decision Jayje, and I'll support it."

"But?" JJ challenged.

"You don't know what it's like," Emily said in a rush, tightening her grip on JJ subconsciously. "It's hard, living your life pretending to be someone else. It gets old fast and it takes real effort. It's a hard life for an adult Jayje, but the boys, what about them? We'd be asking them to lie all day, everyday, to everyone they know."

JJ looked back at her, over her shoulder, and Emily leaned in for a kiss. She still hadn't tired of being able to kiss Jennifer anytime she wanted, and she doubted she ever would. "We?" JJ asked when the kiss was over.

Emily blushed. "Well, yeah." Doubt crept in and she hurried to justify her choice of words. "I thought that you'd want…"

"Shhh," JJ said as she pressed a quick kiss on Emily's lips. "Of course, I want you there, I want to be wherever you are, but you just said it's hard. I don't want to force you into anything."

JJ rolled over, facing her and their lips connected at once. During one of their brief stops for air, Emily returned to their conversation. "I'd do anything for you or the boys Jennifer, and I hope you know that by now."

"I do, but it doesn't mean I don't feel bad about all I'm taking away from you," JJ confessed, sounding like she was struggling to get the words out.

Emily kissed her with as much passion as she could manage. She tried to explain with actions what words failed to express. Her arms wrapped around JJ and slid down her back to grab and squeeze her ass. "You aren't taking anything," Emily said as she panted heavily, "I get to spend more time with the people who mean the most to me, it's not a bad deal."

JJ response was to press her body against Emily's while their lips collided again. Their breasts pressed together and JJ moaned lewdly in a way that set every nerve in Emily's body off at once. Within seconds Emily was pinned under the smaller woman. She leaned down, her golden hair dragging across Emily's skin and lighting it on fire as her lips worked to her long, tanned neck.

"JJ, I'd follow you anywhere," Emily gasped, as one of her hands slipped up and into JJ's silky hair.

Her teeth sank into Emily's neck and the other woman bucked under JJ's body, letting out a long moan as their bodies connected. "Uh-huh," JJ panted, in between kisses and bites of Emily's flesh. "Tell me about it later."

With that, any thought of conversation ended and Emily surrendered to JJ and all the feelings that coursed through her. The sensations multiplying every second as JJ played her body like an instrument. "Fuck yeah," Emily hissed as JJ's mouth sank lower, "later, much later."

R-C

Emily wanted to stay in bed. In fact, she'd be comfortable never moving again, but she knew that wasn't possible. She was naked, in the guest bedroom of JJ's house, with the beautiful homeowner equally naked, in her arms.

Thoughts of the night before made her smile. Her eyes closed and she savored everything she was feeling, attempting to memorize every detail.

She was nearly asleep when the sound of the door opening caught Emily's attention. The hinges squeaked just enough to announce their audience. Emily felt a smile she couldn't control covering her lips. She could feel his breath on her face and she waited as long as she could before she opened her eyes and spied Henry watching her closely. The blankets covered her body, but she knew the boy would need to leave before she could actually get up.

"Mama's not on the couch," Henry said, his little voice full of worry.

Emily rolled away from JJ reluctantly and then flattened her body as much as she could, while remaining covered. Eventually her pose allowed the small boy to see over her to where his mother was sleeping. "Me and your mom were talking late last night and she fell asleep."

With a sudden wide smile, Henry was clearly satisfied. "Ok," he decided, "what's for breakfast?"

"How about pancakes?" Emily offered. When the boy nodded, she put her plan into action. "Why don't you go see if your brother is awake and help him downstairs. I'll be down in a minute and we can make breakfast in bed for your mom, how about that?"

With glee Henry raced off to accomplish his task and Emily chuckled as he went. She was tired and her body ached after last night's events but she still felt blessed, to have not only JJ but Henry and Michael too. She was so lost in thought that she never realized JJ was awake.

With sleep coloring her voice she groaned. "You better go, or he's going to be back in three minutes to drag you downstairs, by force."

Emily who had been preparing to climb from the bed, laid back and set a kiss on JJ's lips. "Well good morning beautiful. How are you feeling?" She had been worried. Their passions had gotten away from them the night before, and Emily had been concerned that she'd aggravated JJ's bullet wound.

"I'm good," JJ promised, smiling into Emily's lips as they shared another kiss. "Tired but good."

Emily rolled away and grinned proudly when JJ pouted and whimpered in disappointment. She could feel the blonde's eyes on her naked body as she found clothes to wear. "See something you like?" Emily teased, putting more sway in her hips than was strictly necessary.

"Absolutely" JJ answered, sounding more alert, her voice raw and husky. Stretching out on the bed, now that she was alone, JJ did nothing to keep the blanket in place and it pooled around her waist, exposing half of her body to Emily. "I'll be right down," JJ vowed as Emily slipped a tank top over her head.

"Don't," Emily answered, leaning over to kiss JJ for a final time. The blonde took hold of the tank top and used it to keep Emily in place as she deepened the kiss. Emily pulled back and smiled wickedly. "I promised Henry we'd make you breakfast in bed, so you need to stay, in bed," she explained, putting emphasis on the last two words. Before she arrived at the door she looked back at JJ, enjoying the sight of JJ naked in bed, her breast bare and littered with marks from their adventures. "You should probably get dressed though," she warned. Once she was gone from view she threw out one final jab, "Nice hickeys."

She took time to savor the gasp from the guest bedroom before she hurried down the stairs to where two adorable boys were waiting for her. As far as Emily was concerned this morning was off to a pretty great start.

R-C

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in posting this one. I got stuck with writer's block trying to figure out what role the Ambassador was going to play in all this. Guess my third attempt at this chapter is the charm. I hope people are still reading and enjoying this. Thank you to all the people who have commented, I appreciate it.

We are getting to the end of this story, the next chapter will likely be the court case, and then the end. So, hang on just a little bit longer folks, I'll finish this soon.

Russell Craig.


	14. Chapter 14

"Come on Garcia," Emily said with frustration oozing out of her words. "There has to be something." She was in the backyard, watching the boys on their swing set. JJ was indoors with Chris, going over the final preparations. The case was being heard the following day and JJ was a bundle of nerves and anxious energy. For her part, Emily was no help since she felt much the same way.

"I'm sorry," Garcia said for the third time in as many minutes. "I've checked everywhere and Will doesn't have any skeletons in his closet. There was one excessive force complaint back when he was with New Orleans PD, a year or so before he met JJ." After a few more keystrokes Garcia continued, "Oh it was right after his dad died." Emily waited for another moment, certain Penelope wasn't done, and she was right. "Like I said before, nothing major, and nothing we didn't already know, I'm sorry."

Emily sighed. "It's not your fault Garcia, thanks for checking."

"Anything for JJ. How's she doing?"

"Stressed," Emily admitted carefully. She didn't want to give away JJ's secrets, but she knew Garcia was asking for the right reasons. "She's worried, but she's in with the lawyer now and hopefully he'll reassure her more than I've been able to."

"I'm sure you're doing great," Garcia said confidently. "She needs a friend, and you're her best."

Aware that Garcia was purposefully reassuring her, Emily couldn't hold back her smile. "We both need you Garcia. We'd be lost without you, I hope you know that."

The analyst laughed happily. "Oh, I know. I'll keep digging and let you know if I find something juicy."

"Dig into the Melissa," Emily instructed. "Find out what you can about the brother. I think that's her weak spot."

"It shall be done," Garcia promised before there was a beep and then nothing.

Putting her phone away Emily jogged to the swings and after high fives for Henry and a kiss for Michael she stood behind the children and pushed them. She'd swing Michael gently in the baby swing first, and then move over and push Henry, letting the older boy go much faster and higher than his brother.

The cheers and laughter she heard only confirmed what Emily knew. She'd do anything for these boys, anything for JJ. She wasn't going to let anyone separate them, not even a judge.

R-C

They were cuddled together in bed. JJ's head resting on Emily's chest while the brunette was combing through her hair with lazy fingers.

"JJ there is something we need to talk about before tomorrow."

The words made JJ tense under Emily's touch. She rolled away, propped herself up on an elbow and looked at the older woman. Terror filled her, but she did her best to keep that hidden. Was she going back to London? Was there something about the case that Emily hadn't told her, yet? Was it about Megan? Was Emily unhappy with the changes in their relationship? JJ still wasn't sure what to call their current situation, but labelling it was the least of her concerns. All these questions tore through her mind and kept her silent. Finally, she managed an awkward and unhelpful, "Oh."

Emily rolled on her side, mirroring JJ, propping herself up. "It's nothing bad," she promised. "I was just thinking about the questions Will's lawyer might ask me… about us."

JJ's tension melted away for an instant before it came back in full force. Her worries were unfounded, but Emily's question spawned a series of others. Again, she felt like an invalid. "Okay."

"Jayje, I know you want to keep this private for now, but if they ask me under oath, I'm not sure I can lie."

JJ understood Emily's point and moved closer, taking her hand. "I do want to keep this private," she said gently, afraid if she spoke too loud she'd ruin everything. "It's not because I'm ashamed or anything, it's not, truly. I just…"

She didn't know how to finish that statement, but luckily Emily understood, just like she always did. JJ felt closer to Em than she ever had to anyone else. Not even Will had made her feel so safe and comforted. Emily had been her rock through all of this. The shooting and now the custody battle, JJ could say with confidence that she wouldn't have been able to get through it without Emily.

"It's okay Jay… I understand."

"No, its…" again she tried to give a voice to her feelings but couldn't.

"If they ask me…"

This time it was JJ who interrupted. "Why would Will's lawyer ask about us? I mean, you're my friend, who is staying in my guest room to help me watch the boys. All that's true."

Emily sighed and JJ wondered what she'd done wrong. She replayed her last comment in her head, searching for her misstep.

"I meant if they ask me about my feelings Jennifer. If they ask me how I feel about you."

"Why would they?" she wondered aloud.

"I think Will knows."

Fear moved through her at a speed that turned her stomach. "What! He knows? About us?" Her volume was far too loud, the boys had been in bed for hours. She released her error and adjusted. "You told him?" she hissed in an exaggerated whisper.

Emily looked hurt and JJ immediately wanted to hug her and apologize. Emily's words stopped her. "I didn't tell him anything, but he's not stupid."

"What does that mean?"

"JJ I left for London the day after your wedding. I came back when Garcia called to tell me you were having trouble. I went to New Orleans and searched for Will, I brought your sons back to you, using a gun and threats. When you were shot in the hospital, I was there with you. When Will came by the house, I was living here. He may not know that we're together, but I don't think he has any doubts about my feelings for you." Emily locked her dark eyes on JJ and the blonde shivered. "If he asks me, I can't lie."

"I don't want you to lie for me," JJ said quickly. "I don't."

"Then people will know," Emily pointed out.

"They were going to find out eventually," JJ said with a surge of confidence she didn't expect. Leaning over she kissed her lover. "I believe what happens is our business and no one else's, but I don't want you to perjure yourself for me. I won't let you, not about this."

Emily kissed her, pulling her closer until they were mashed back together in a twisted collection of limbs and wandering hands.

While JJ sucked on her neck the brunette purred in a way JJ had never heard before. More than a little turned on by the sound she doubled her efforts, ignoring Emily's attempts to carry on a civilized conversation. "A…anything… else we need to… oh fuck… anything else we need to do before tomorrow?"

"Yeah," JJ said pulling her mouth off Emily's marked neck and throwing a leg over her body. "Distract me!"

Emily leaned up to catch JJ's lip, biting the bottom one hard enough to force JJ to pull away. A wicked grin covered Emily's face and it made JJ ache for what was coming next. "With pleasure."

R-C

When she woke, Emily found the other half of the bed empty. It didn't surprise her that JJ was in the kitchen, with a mug of barely touched coffee in her hand, pacing about, staring at nothing.

Emily dropped a kiss on her lips as she reached around her for the coffee. "I didn't wake you did I?" JJ said, her eyes staring for a few seconds more before she turned to Emily.

"No," Emily assured her. "Are you okay?" she asked, foolishly.

JJ gave her a weak smile. "Not really."

The noises of the boys upstairs caught both adult's attention. JJ turned to the stove until a hand on her arm stilled her. "I'll handle breakfast, why don't you go take a nice hot shower, and get ready. I can watch the boys."

"Em, I can do it. My chest doesn't even hurt anymore."

"I know," Emily said with a small smile, "but I didn't offer because you got shot, I offered because I …" she stopped short of admitting her feelings and made the necessary adjustment. "I offered because I care about you and want you to relax."

JJ looked at her as if she wanted to press the issue, but didn't because her sons arrived in the kitchen, action figures in hand.

JJ took time to speak with each boy before she kissed their cheeks and slipped away for her shower. Emily worried about Jennifer as she watched her go. While she was pouring the cereal, her phone rang.

"What can you tell me Garcia?" she said in greeting, hoping to get to the relevant information faster.

"The brother, he's in jail in Florida."

"I know, I saw that in the file you sent me in New Orleans," Emily recalled with obvious disappointment.

"But did you know, he's still got ten months left on his sentence?"

"So?" Emily clarified, not understanding.

Garcia seemed more than a little thrilled to get to explain her plot. "You said the brother is her weak spot, right? Well, why don't we see if we can reduce his sentence. Maybe she'd leave Will without a lawyer, if we gave her the proper motivation."

Emily was impressed. She had no idea her friend could be so methodical and devious. It only went to confirm how deeply Penelope cared for JJ, a sentiment Emily understood. "That's a great idea Pen. Can you get me the information for the warden?"

"I already sent it," Garcia promised cheerfully. "I need to go and get ready, but you take care of our girl. I'll see you at the courthouse."

"Bye Garcia, and thank you."

Emily made sure the boys were eating peacefully and blissfully unaware of her phone conversations, before she started dialing again. They were too busy discussing which character was stronger, the Hulk or Thor. It was a serious debate with Michael waving his Thor figurine and mumbling while Henry tried to articulate why the Hulk was better, by showing his brother the swinging action of his bulky arm.

JJ came into the kitchen just as Emily was finishing her final call. The former media liaison looked professional in a simple pair of black dress pants and a blue shirt that brought out her eyes. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail and she wore heels to appear taller. Emily thought she looked gorgeous but she could see the fear in JJ, just as she could feel it in the room.

"You look great," Emily said as she gave JJ a quick kiss and handed her a fresh coffee.

JJ took the cup and gave Emily a smile that was more than a little stiff. "You should go get ready. We need to leave soon."

They had plenty of time, Emily knew, but she didn't question it. If JJ wanted to be there the second the courthouse opened that's what they'd do. Instead she said a quick goodbye to the boys, touched JJ on the shoulder as she passed and disappeared down the hall to the bathroom.

R-C

The courthouse was crowded, but they had plenty of time. JJ had insisted they leave as soon as Emily was ready. The boys were staying with Reid, since he wasn't on the witness list. Hotch, Garcia, Emily and JJ were all expected to testify.

With several courtrooms occupied there was a steady flow of people moving in all directions, but JJ refused to sit. No matter what Emily offered, the other woman just kept moving, pacing, crossing the lobby to read a sign, then walking back to pace near the bench where Emily was sitting again.

Chris arrived early and found the women waiting for him. "Am I late?" he joked.

Emily stood and hugged her friend. JJ finally stopped and made it a point to thank Chris for his help, one more time.

Thirty minutes before the case was scheduled to start Will and Melissa arrived. Emily could see they were in the midst of a heated discussion and she smiled. Trouble in paradise? She could only hope.

When Will and his wife saw one another, each took a step to close the distance. Chris put a hand on her forearm. "Don't say a word," he whispered.

"Ready to listen to common sense cher?" Will asked. "The boys were happy in New Orleans. Ask them, they'll tell you, it was great. You can come visit whenever you want." He waited a moment before going further. "New Orleans is where they belong, it is where we always belonged. It doesn't have to be this way JJ."

"Agree to joint custody then," JJ said, violating Chris' orders. "I don't want to take the boys from you Will. I want Henry and Michael to have a mother and a father in their lives. That's all I've ever wanted."

"You can't be a mother until you leave the BAU," he countered bitterly. "You're never home."

Emily watched as JJ's face dissolved into a mess of pain and fear. She hated it and she hated Will for making it happen. "That's enough!"

Will turned his eyes on Emily and shook his head, laughing humorlessly. "You're still here?"

"Told you, I'm not going anywhere."

"Where is your gun?"

She stepped forward. "I don't think I'll need it," she said menacingly.

Will laughed again. "Oh no? What's your plan then? Going to make Garcia dig through my life? That's a bold threat but you forget I know Garcia too and that woman wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Emily," Chris said in warning, attempting to keep her silent.

The former Interpol agent looked over her shoulder at the professor and smiled warmly. She nodded in agreement before she did the exact thing he wanted her to avoid. Emily walked straight to Will and pulled him into an unexpected hug. When he was close she whispered in his ear, "Hurt JJ again and Garcia will help me dig the grave."

It was Melissa pulling Will away that separated them. Emily took pleasure in the strange look he wore. While Melissa chastised Will for his comments, Emily went back to Chris and JJ.

"What did you say to him?" Chris wondered, as he fretted about their case.

"Nothing important."

Looking to JJ, she could see how scared she was. Emily wanted to fix it, she wanted to hug her, hold her, admit that she loved her, but she couldn't. They'd spoken about it the night before and again on the ride to the courthouse. If Melissa asked, they wouldn't lie, but they weren't going to broadcast their relationship either.

She sat next to JJ and did her best to distract the blonde. When she noticed Melissa leave Will's side and head down a marked corridor, Emily stood and quickly followed. She met the lawyer in the ladies room and closed the door loudly behind her.

At the sound of the door closing Melissa turned away from the sink and looked at Emily, her eyes widening when she recognized her. "Wh…what are you doing?"

"We need to talk," Emily stated simply.

"We can't. This is highly inappropriate and improper."

"Perhaps," Emily allowed, "but what about Sam?"

She watched the redhead tense at the mention of her brother. "What about Sam? What did you do?"

"All I did was make a few calls," Emily said with a smirk. "Your brother still had ten months left, until this morning…"

"What… what did you do?" Melissa stuttered, sounding far from the experienced lawyer Emily knew she was.

"I told you, I made a few calls. Your brother just got early release, but there is a catch."

"What?"

"Well," Emily said with a smile, "they require someone trustworthy to take responsibility for him, someone like a lawyer perhaps. I've arranged for him to be placed under house arrest, but before that can happen they need to meet with you and confirm your residence is suitable for Sam." Emily waited for all that to sink in before she lowered the hammer. "Unfortunately, Sam's house arrest is limited to the great state of Florida."

It took her only seconds to put the pieces together. "So, I need to go to Florida?"

"As soon as possible," Emily pushed. "Your brother is waiting and you know how quickly deals like this can fall apart."

"You want me to leave Will and move to Florida?" Melissa summarized.

"That's up to you. You can stay and support Will's claim for sole custody, or you can get on a plane and go get your brother. I'll give you a few minutes to think it over."

"You're really willing to do this, to go so far, just to ensure Jennifer keeps custody?"

With a dark gleam in her eye Emily told the truth. "I'd do a lot worse than this, believe me." She slipped out into the hall, to give Melissa time and privacy to reach a decision.

Emily didn't think it would take long, but she wasn't prepared for how fast it was either. In less than sixty seconds Melissa was next to her in the hall. "What will I tell Will?"

Emily fought to resist a smile. "Don't worry, I'll tell him."

R-C

Just before the case was due to be called, Will went in search of his lawyer. In the corridor, next to the bathrooms he found Emily standing alone. "Is she in there?"

"Not anymore," Emily said without looking at him.

"What did you do to her?" Will spat, opening the door, and calling out her name.

"I think I made her day, actually" Emily joked with a quiet chuckle.

"Where is she?" he practically shouted, as he positioned his face an inch from hers.

Emily stood her ground, completely unbothered and unthreatened by Will. She took a step to the side, putting a small measure of space between them. "She left."

"She left?" he repeated. "Why?"

"Seems to be a pattern huh?" she mocked, staring him in the eye now. "I spend a few minutes with the women in your life and suddenly they want nothing more to do with you. First JJ and now Melissa." Enjoying herself far too much, Emily kept going. "Make sure to introduce me to your next girlfriend."

When she laughed, Will snapped. He swung at her, his hand coming up to meet her cheek. She dodged the punch, grabbed his wrist and twisted. In seconds, she had his arm bent awkwardly behind his back, while his face pressed into the wall. "Let me go!" he demanded.

"Are you done?" Emily asked, using a tone that was typically reserved for Henry or Michael when they were in the throes of a tantrum.

He grunted and Emily took that as confirmation. She released him and stepped back, waiting for the next attack. "Where is Melissa? The case is about to start."

"She had to go, but she wanted me to apologize for leaving you without a lawyer. Guess you'll have to find someone else."

She heard him say something, but she didn't care enough to give him any mind. Melissa was gone, Will was informed and the judge would have already called the case, if he wasn't running behind. Everything was going perfectly. Now all Emily had to do was find JJ.

R-C

JJ sat at the table next to Chris, watching the lawyer scribble notes on his pad. When the judge came in and she was required to stand JJ realized just how weak her legs were. She'd never been more relieved to be allowed to sit. Since she entered the room, she'd been actively trying not to look at Will and his lawyer/girlfriend, but as she settled her eyes wandered there anyway. She noticed Will was alone, and he looked furious.

The judge looked at the people before him and spoke to Will first. "Mr. LaMontange, I understand you are left without an attorney due to a sudden change in plans. I'll set a new court date and allow you the time to locate sufficient council."

Will stood. "I can represent myself Your Honor," Will declared. "I'd like this case resolved today."

"Mr. LaMontange, questioning witnesses is not something typically done without a lawyer." He thought for a moment. "If you wish to proceed, I will allow it, but I strongly suggest you choose another course of action."

"I understand, but I'd like to proceed."

From her seat, JJ listened. She had no clue what happened to Melissa but she was confident that Emily was somehow involved. A smile curled her lips in spite of her fear and she wanted nothing more than to thank the beautiful woman for helping her yet again.

R-C

Ignoring the sign that prohibited cell phones Emily called Reid to check on the boys. More and more she found herself feeling like a mother, a real mother and not an aunt as she cared for and loved JJ's sons. It was a series of feelings she both cherished and resisted. She loved the connection she had with the boys, and every day she spent living with them only strengthened that bond, but she worried about the day she'd have to leave. Her relationship with JJ was in its infancy. Jennifer could change her mind at any time and send Emily back to her condo. If that happened, she knew the boys would be fine, they had JJ for a mother, but secretly she worried about herself. Could she recover from such a blow? She didn't think so.

Of course, the boys were fine. Spencer was performing his magic tricks and providing cookies. They had all they needed.

Nearby Garcia sat nervously in her seat, while Hotch was busy reviewing a case file. Emily sat down next to him as she hid her phone in her pocket. When the bailiff came for Garcia all three of them looked up.

R-C

Garcia smiled at JJ as friendly as she could from the witness stand. She took note of Will's table, and the distinct lack of a redhead. Her smile widened. Whatever Emily had tried, it obviously worked.

JJ's lawyer started first. He was impeccably dressed and looked smooth, and calm as he approached her. "Miss Garcia, how long have you known Miss Jareau?"

"For years," Garcia said, trying to think back. "More than ten years, twelve I guess."

Chris smiled at her. "A long time then. Do you spend much time with Jennifer outside of work?"

Garcia looked past the lawyer to JJ and smiled again. "As much as we can. We are both busy, but we try to make time to see one another."

"What kind of things do you do together?"

"It's usually just girl's night," Penelope remembered. "Sometimes we stay in and watch movies, sometimes we go out dancing."

Chris nodded. "Sounds fun. Now Miss Garcia, you've known Jennifer since before she became a mother correct?"

"Yes, of course. I was there the day Henry was born. Michael too."

"Would you classify Jennifer as a good mother?"

Garcia straightened up in her seat and looked to the judge and not the lawyer to make her point. "JJ… excuse me, Jennifer is a great mother. She'd do anything for her sons and they are lucky to have her. Anyone would be lucky to have JJ as their mother."

"Thank you, Miss Garcia."

When it was Will's turn, Penelope's smile vanished and she glared openly at him. "Miss Garcia, Penelope, can I call you Penelope?"

"No," she answered quickly, her eyes glued to his.

Will chuckled lightly, looking to the judge for help he didn't find. "Alright then, Miss Garcia, how did you come to work at the FBI?"

"I was recruited."

"Recruited to do what?"

"I'm a technical analyst."

"You're a hacker," he corrected.

"I was a hacker," Garcia admitted, "but that was a long time ago."

"So, you're a criminal," Will said as coldly as he could. "You went to work for the FBI to avoid prison, isn't that right?"

"I've never been convicted of any crime, and I work at the BAU because I want to." At least now she did.

"Fair enough," Will said, looking pleased that he hit a nerve. "Since you work with Jennifer, you're aware of her work schedule is that a fair statement?"

"Yes."

"Does her work require her to travel a lot?"

Penelope chose her words carefully, remembering her practice sessions with Chris. She needed to be vague without lying. "The work requires her to travel, yes."

"She was gone nearly two hundred days last year. That's quite a bit of travel wouldn't you say?"

"Is that why you had an affair?" Garcia spat back at him. "Because she was gone?" She was unwilling to go down without a fight. Will addressed the judge and Garcia was reprimanded and reminded to answer only the question asked.

When things were once again calm, she answered the question posed before her outburst. "The work the team does is all over the United States, so yes they have to travel sometimes," she explained, feeling as though she was being led to a trap she couldn't see.

"Your parents died when you were a child right?" Will asked with a sadistic smile.

Garcia's eyes threatened to tear up but she wouldn't allow it. JJ needed her. Chris tried to stop the line of questioning, but the judge allowed Will to proceed. "Yes, my parents died when I was a teenager."

"So, you know the effect of growing up alone. You know how hard it is, how much it hurts. Why would you want that for my sons? You care about them, don't you? You're Henry's godmother after all. Surely you don't want that for them, to be raised by babysitters and nannies, to be without a mother and a father just like you were?"

"It's not the same thing," Garcia called with tears shining in her eyes. "The boys still have a mother, and a father. JJ is still there for them, she still loves them. I was older and my parents died, it's not the same thing at all."

When she was excused she felt as though she failed. She'd been called to help JJ keep her sons and somehow Will had turned everything around on her. And he'd done it without a lawyer. If she didn't hate him so intensely she might have been impressed. When she passed JJ the two shared a look, both women apologetic.

R-C

JJ knew Will could be calloused and cruel but she didn't expect him to go that far. It took all of her composure not to explode when she saw Garcia near tears. The death of her parents was serious, it wasn't a prop to be used to make a point. JJ knew how deep that wound was, and she hated Will for ripping the scab off. Her friend was suffering, for her and she wanted it to stop. She tried to apologize with her eyes, but she had no idea if Garcia understood.

"That was bad," she said to Chris in a whisper.

"It wasn't that bad," he told her, scribbling away on his paper.

"I thought lawyers were supposed to be better liars."

R-C

When Emily was called, she was relieved. She'd been alone in the room, waiting for her turn. She watched Garcia go first, then Hotch and finally it was her time. She smiled at JJ as she walked to the stand. Resting her hand on the bible she swore to tell the truth and then she took her seat.

"Emily," Chris asked kindly, "where are you living?"

"I have a condo here in DC, but currently I'm staying at Jennifer's house, with her and the boys."

"And why is that?"

"JJ was hurt while she worked a case, so I moved in to help her with the boys while she healed."

"Why was that necessary? Why couldn't Jennifer turn to her husband to watch their sons?" Chris asked, posing the question Emily had been waiting to answer, under oath.

"Will stole Henry and Michael away from JJ while she was out of town on a case. He told the boys they were on vacation and that their mother was sick. He gave away his cell phone and hid himself and their sons from their mother."

Will tried to object, but the judge insisted he sit.

"He stole them?"

"He took them from DC to New Orleans with his new girlfriend. He lived there for months and JJ had no way of contacting him or her children."

"But they are with her now. How did that happen?"

"When I returned from London, I heard about JJ's troubles. I went to New Orleans, located Will and brought the boys home."

"So, you stole them back?" Chris asked, pushing a little harder than she expected.

"I returned them to their mother. She hadn't seen or spoken to them in months. It was the right thing to do."

"Emily, we've heard a lot about Jennifer's work at the BAU. You used to work there, so you are qualified to give your opinion. Did you travel a lot while with the FBI? Does Jennifer travel a lot for her work?

"Yes," Emily admitted. "There was and is a lot of travel."

"So, when Jennifer is working a case, her sons are left alone, without their mother."

"When she's working a case, JJ calls them every day. More than once usually. JJ is a great mother and being in the FBI and travelling shouldn't disqualify her from raising her children. Flight attendants spend even more time away from home than JJ. Are we supposed to remove every child from the home of every flight attendant, every agent of the BAU?"

"Well that's the issue Miss Prentiss," Chris reminded her, trying to keep her on track. "We're here to decide if Jennifer should retain custody when she is gone so much of the time? Would the boys be happier with their father full-time?" He waited a moment and then asked. "Who will watch the boys while Jennifer is working?"

This was a question Emily was prepared for. "I will. The boys will be well cared for, safe and happy, until their mother returns."

"You've seen Jennifer with her sons. How would you describe her as a mother?"

Emily looked past Chris to JJ at the table, seeing her looking both expectant and sad. "JJ is the best mother I've ever known. She loves her boys deeply and they know it. They have everything they could ever want at home with her. I've heard JJ reading a bedtime story to Michael over the phone in the middle of a gruesome case, and I've seen the happiness on Henry's face when he sees his mom come home. Those boys are where they belong."

"Caring for children, especially two of them is a tall order. Are you prepared to do that?"

"Yes."

"You left London and a prosperous job at Interpol to return to Washington and become a nanny? That's a big change. Do you regret it?"

Emily didn't know what Chris was trying to prove, but she answered his question anyway, her tone hard. "No, I don't regret it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

"How long do you intend to stay in DC this time?" the lawyer asked.

"I'm here permanently. I'll be there to help JJ, when she's home and when she has a case," she vowed.

She noticed a flicker of a smile on JJ's face and it made Emily smile too.

Will's turn to question her was not something she was looking forward to, but it couldn't be avoided. "Emily, how lovely to see you again." Will came to a stop right in front of her, placing his hand on the door separating them. "You mentioned JJ was hurt in the line of duty, what happened?"

She tensed and looked at JJ apologetically before she answered, knowing this was going to sound horrible. "She was shot."

"Shot? Was it serious?"

"She's fine and is making a full recovery."

"You also mentioned that you came to my home in New Orleans, and stole my children for JJ. Did you use a gun to coerce me into returning my children to DC?"

"I was an Interpol agent, I am lawfully and legally allowed to carry a gun, just like you, Detective LaMontange. And just to clarify, JJ had no knowledge of my trip to New Orleans until after I returned. She didn't send me, didn't ask me to go, and didn't tell me about any of her problems."

Will and Emily both looked to the judge and Emily could see her point had hit its mark. The judge looked unimpressed with Will and she was certain he knew it. He quickly changed the topic.

"So, you're living with my wife and my children?"

"Yes."

"How do you feel about Jennifer?"

"I care about her. We're friends, I care about her and the children."

"Do you love my sons?"

Emily could tell where this was going and she didn't like it. Still, she couldn't stop it, it was much too late. "Yes, I love Henry and Michael very much."

"Do you love my wife?"

Unwilling to call JJ Will's wife, even if it was technically true, she chose her words cautiously. Behind Will, she met and held the blue eyes she was mesmerized by. "I've loved JJ since long before she met you, but I don't see what that has to do with this case."

"I agree," the judge added from the bench. "Move on Mr. LaMontange.

Will looked disappointed. "Do you have any children Miss Prentiss?"

She bit her lip to keep from saying something she'd regret and JJ would hate. "You know I don't."

"You don't?" he parroted back as though it were big news. "Then how could you possibly take care of my sons when JJ is away? What makes you qualified?"

"Before Henry was born, did you have any children?" She knew she wasn't allowed to ask him anything and she knew he wouldn't answer so she continued on, her question becoming a monologue. "Nobody is qualified to raise a child. Anyone who thinks they know what they're doing is just lying to themselves. Henry and Michael might not be mine biologically, but I love them as if they were. I would never harm them or allow anyone else to harm them. Not even their father."

The verbal jousting continued until Will was done with her. With no one else left, Chris directed JJ to the witness stand.

R-C

"Jennifer, do you love your children?"

JJ tensed at the question. She knew it was coming, they'd practiced, but still it bothered her. How could anyone doubt her love for Henry and Michael? "From the moment they were born I've loved them. I've always loved them, I'll always love them."

"Do you enjoy your job at the FBI?" Chris asked gently.

"Yes, I do."

"But your job keeps you away from home quite a bit. We've heard as much as two hundred days a year. That's a lot of frequent flyer miles you're racking up. How do you justify leaving your children so often?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to answer, focusing on Chris' face and nothing else. "Our work is important. We make the world a safer place, not just for my children, but for everybody's. My sons know I leave to go catch monsters, and they know I'll always come back to them."

"Now that you and your husband are no longer together, how do you plan to care for the children when you're away?"

"Emily is here to help," JJ said, unable to stop her smile at the mention of the other woman. "Before Will took the boys, they stayed with him, or a babysitter, but now that Emily's here they won't even have to leave home."

"What do you want to happen today Jennifer?" he asked, sending her a question she hadn't practiced answering.

"I want my boys to stay where they are. I want them to have a relationship with their mother and their father. I just want what's best for them."

"Would you consider joint custody?"

"Yes," JJ said honestly. "I've offered Will joint custody several times, as recently as this morning, but he is insistent."

Chris smiled and nodded, pleased with her answer. "You spoke of what was best for the boys. What do you think that is?"

"Staying with their mother."

When Will stood, JJ had to resist the urge to run. The door wasn't that far. If she made a break for it, she could make it. She'd been prepared to answer questions from Melissa, but she could only imagine what kind of questions Will might ask. After hearing the things he dug up to hurt Garcia and Emily, JJ knew she wasn't going to enjoy this.

"Hello Jennifer," he said as if they were old friends. She hated the way her name sounded, so rough and harsh, the exact opposite of the way it comes out of Emily's mouth.

She gives him a stiff nod and he smiles, clearly pleased. "I just have a few questions. Now that Emily is living in our home, where is she sleeping?"

Chris was in the process of objecting when JJ answered anyway. "In the guest bedroom. And the house is mine, not ours."

"And where do you sleep?" he asked with a smirk.

"I usually sleep on the couch," she said truthfully, thinking about the majority of their separation. "I haven't slept in our bed since the day I walked in on you and your girlfriend having sex in it."

"Your Honor," Will said, looking to the older man for aid.

The judge gave Will a tight smile. "You asked Mr. LaMontange, she's allowed to answer."

Frustrated, Will moved on. "You were shot recently. Your job must be dangerous."

His smug tone annoyed her. "No more than yours Detective," she answered with more than a bit of sarcasm shining through.

"How do you propose to care for our children when you spend so much time away from home? You've missed school meetings, recitals, plays, and baseball games. Don't our sons deserve better than that?"

"As I said, Emily is there to watch the boys, if I get called away on a case."

"Do you think its suitable for Emily to raise our children while you're gone? She's not a parent to them, and she's not a qualified nanny either."

JJ's anger boiled over. "Emily is great with the kids," she said to start. "And she isn't raising our children she's watching them while I work, just like you did."

"Yes, but I'm their father. Is it fair to say Jennifer that you love your job at the FBI more than you love our children?"

"No that's not true!" JJ said, standing up and shouting at her husband. The judge instructed her to sit and she did, but she wasn't finished. "There is nothing in this world I love more than my boys."

Will looked pleased with himself all the sudden and it made JJ uneasy. "Would you leave the FBI?"

"What?" She didn't understand the question.

"You said you love nothing more than our sons, so I'm asking you, if you'd leave the FBI for them?" He moved closer to the stand to taunt her, his voice lowering, "Remember you're under oath."

"Yes, I would leave the BAU if it was the only way to keep custody."

Will's head whipped around and he pinned JJ with a hard stare. He clearly hadn't been expecting that answer. He expected her to answer cryptically, dodging the question, while avoiding anything definitive, but she hadn't. She'd been forthright and honest and it caused him to pause. "You say that now, but I asked you to leave the BAU countless times during our marriage and you always refused. How do you explain that?"

"When you asked me to leave the BAU it was never for the boys, it was always for you," JJ reminded him.

"So, you're saying that you love our children enough to leave your job at the FBI, but you never loved me enough to do the same?"

JJ answered with a shrug. "Seems that way."

R-C

Without a lawyer to ask him easy questions, Will chose not to take the stand and face Chris. While the judge considered his options JJ and Emily sat together, their hands hidden under the jacket Emily was no longer wearing. "I'm sorry you had to go through that for me. I feel horrible, the things Will dug up, I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault Jayje. I'm a big girl, I can take it."

She shrugged just as she'd done on the witness stand. "I know, but you shouldn't have to."

When the judge called everyone back, they all expected a ruling but that wasn't what they got. With Chris and JJ at one table, Will alone at the other, and with Emily and Garcia waiting in the gallery Judge Williams requested to speak to another witness. "I'd like to speak with Henry, if you'd both allow it."

JJ looked to Will and while neither said a word, she could tell he was trying to decipher what the judge was after. Once both parents had agreed JJ looked behind her and found Emily in the crowd. The brunette immediately understood, got up and left the courtroom to call Reid.

"Our son is on his way," JJ said once Emily returned and gave her a nod.

R-C

Emily had been tense before, but watching tiny Henry walk through the doors to the judge's chambers, alone felt wrong on a whole other level. She wanted to be there to help him, and to protect him. That was her job, wasn't it? She felt entirely helpless and it unnerved her in a way she wasn't comfortable with.

"I'd like to tell you it gets easier, but it doesn't. Not even a little bit," she said with a smile.

She didn't understand. Still unable to take her eyes off the closed doors, she spoke in a shaking voice. "W… what do you mean?"

JJ gestured to the door weakly. "Leaving him. I don't care if it's school, or his friend's house, or the judge's chambers, it's never easy to let him go." She took Emily's hand openly, surprising the older woman. "You can't run in there and save him, no matter how bad you want to, all you can do is make sure he knows you love him and he does."

Emily couldn't control her smile. "I do love him, I love all of you, more than I ever thought possible."

"We love you too," JJ said softly. Emily wanted to pose follow up questions, she wanted to inquire about the meaning of those words. Did it mean that JJ was in love with her or was it the friendly kind of love? She never got to ask because the judge opened the doors to his chambers and let Henry sprinted out.

The blonde boy ran to his mother and hugged her legs. "I did what you said mama, I told him the truth."

Hugging him to her legs she kissed the top of his head. "That's great buddy."

While the judge watched, Henry slipped seamlessly from JJ to Emily, clinging to her and repeating what he'd told his mom.

"Good job! We're very proud of you. That was a very grown up thing to do Henry."

The boy stood a little taller and smiled a little brighter at this news. "Thanks Auntie Em."

Judge Williams interrupted the reunion. "I'll have a decision in the morning. Nine o'clock."

JJ and Emily both understood the seriousness of the moment. Emily scooped up Henry and held him while JJ assured the judge she'd be there. Chris had gone to take a phone call and both Hotch and Garcia were back at work. As for Will, they hadn't seen him since Henry went in with the judge.

"Did you mean what you said?" Emily asked when she couldn't hold her tongue anymore. "About leaving the BAU, I mean?"

From the passenger's seat, she answered, using the mirror to look at her perfect son. "If they make me choose, I'd pick the boys, but I don't see why I can't do both. I'm a good mother and a good agent."

Emily took her hand. "You're a great mother JJ." There was nothing else to say. Now they just had to wait.

R-C

The clock moved painfully slow, but finally JJ and Emily arrived at the courthouse for the ruling. Henry and Michael were spending the day with their Aunt Penelope and she promised them ice cream, so they'd surely be hyper when they returned.

The night before both JJ and Emily had wanted to quiz Henry about the judge's questions, hoping to see a hint of which way he was leaning. Neither woman did though, instead JJ told him she was proud of him and explained that what happened with the judge was private and he didn't have to tell anyone he didn't want to. Not his mom, his dad or his Aunt Emily. Henry took the message to heart and didn't mention it after that.

"Ready for this?" Emily asked, speaking for the first time in nearly ten minutes.

JJ took her hand and squeezed it, before she let it fall. "I'm ready for this to be over."

Emily took a deep breath and enjoyed the sun on her face for a moment until she stepped inside. "Let's go then."

The court was identical to the day before. Emily took a seat in the front row of the gallery, right behind JJ. She noticed a man across from her but didn't pay him any attention. Everything became serious when Judge Williams came in carrying a file. He sat down and the rest of the room followed. He went through the preliminary motions, reminding everyone why they were there, and then he got to the good part. "I've reached a decision."

Emily could see JJ's anxious energy, she was practically vibrating out of her chair. Emily wasn't much better, she'd been chewing on her nails all week, a filthy habit, but a sign of her nervousness.

"Just to be clear, I want it on the record that yesterday after our session I spoke with both Henry LaMontange and his father Will."

This surprised Emily as much as it did JJ and Chris. Chris remained focused on the judge but JJ looked to Will and then behind her at Emily. Emily's mind spun as she tried to understand what this might mean.

"Your Honor, speaking with him in chambers denies me the right to cross examine him…"

"Sit down Mr. Reynolds, your objections are noted but not required." Looking to JJ and then Will, the judge continued, "Mr. LaMontange, Miss Jareau you both should be very pleased, you have a smart and articulate son."

"Thank you," JJ said loudly, while Will repeated the same thing at a lower volume.

"After speaking with Henry, I was concerned. He told me how his father had taken him on a trip to New Orleans that lasted months. According to Henry, you never told him the move was permanent, and he believed his mother to be gravely ill," he said, addressing Will now. "That is despicable behavior for any parent." He took time to shuffle his papers and look down. "It's obvious you both love your children, even if you no longer love each other. I have hope that you are both still reasonable enough to compromise." He stopped again, holding up the folder. "I have a decision here ruling on the motion, but hopefully I won't need it. Mr. LaMontange I've arranged for you to be represented by an attorney and I'm calling a recess in this case for one hour. If you two can reach a decision before that, I won't need this," he said waving the document again. Before he left he added, "Please take this seriously. I can promise you that if you make me read my decision neither one of you will go home happy."

Emily who had been busy watching JJ turned her eyes on Will. She could see the instant the judge's threat hit home. The color drained from his face and she knew he understood. He wasn't going to get everything he wanted today, no one was.

The man sitting in the gallery near but across the aisle from Emily stood and approached Will's table. He was handsome and while his suit wasn't as expensive as Chris' it wasn't cheap either. He was certainly no legal aid attorney. She stood and leaned over the rail, poking her head between JJ and Chris. "What do you want to do?"

"I want this to be over," JJ said, repeating what she'd been saying for days. "I also want the boys to have a father… so I guess I'm going to have to make a deal."

R-C

After an hour and twenty minutes the lawyers respectfully informed the judge that his decision was not required. JJ and Will, with the aid of their attorneys were able to hammer out an agreement they could both tolerate. Will got less than he wanted, but JJ gave more than she intended too.

It was decided that the boys would stay with JJ during the school year, and spend holidays and summer vacation with their father. JJ also made allowances for Will to visit any time he wanted, be it weekends or holidays from work. Some details still needed to be sorted out, but the worst was over. Most importantly JJ still had her sons.

R-C

Author's Note: Wow, that was really long. I apologize to anyone who got too bored reading and had to stop, although those people will probably never get far enough to see this apology.

I struggled with this one more than I should admit. I know nothing about the law and judges, so I had to guess and research my way through it. I hope the people still reading don't hate the outcome after suffering through the first 13 chapters. One more should wrap it up.

Thanks

Russell Craig


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Note: Here it is, the last chapter. I'd like to thank everyone who read, commented and followed along with this story. I hope you enjoy the ending.

To those who were disappointed with the anti-climatic showdown between JJ and Will, I can only say I tried my best to keep the character's realistic. I had a few versions of the last chapter where Will was properly punished and Emily and JJ needed to make use of the house the Ambassador offered as they started new lives. In the end, I just couldn't imagine JJ taking the kids away from Will, no matter how difficult he made things. Maybe it's just me but JJ seems too kind for that. So, in trying to keep it realistic I undercut the drama.

R-C

Conflicted, that's how she felt as she watched JJ and her sons wrestle around in the back yard. With every squeal of laughter or shriek of imaginary terror Emily's chest grew warm. She really had fallen in love, not only with JJ but the boys as well. Along with the warmth, the love and the comfort Emily also felt dread. Each time she watched Jennifer pick up one of her sons, she paid careful attention. She noticed that JJ no longer winced when she lifted Michael, and she didn't grit her teeth when she bent down to give Henry a hug. The bullet wound had healed. She completed the required physical therapy and passed every psychological evaluation. The doctors had allowed her to return to work, but hadn't yet cleared her to join the team in the field. She had a few more tests to pass for that. Still, Emily knew it wouldn't be long.

It was like a storm cloud over her head. JJ didn't need her help anymore, that was growing increasingly clear. Now, instead of relaxing and allowing Emily to make dinner, JJ joined her in the kitchen helping with every step. While she enjoyed the extra time with the woman she loved, Emily saw it as a flashing neon sign warning of the impending doom. How long would it be before JJ asked her to return to her own home? Sure, they agreed that Emily would stay at the house when JJ had a case, so the boys wouldn't have to be uprooted, but they didn't have a case. And it was true that JJ and Emily had made that arrangement before their relationship began, but it was still so new, far too new for Emily to expect to move in.

It was going to break her heart when she had to go, but she would do it anyway, for Jennifer. A tiny smile crossed her lips as she thought about how good it would feel to be invited back to live with the family permanently. Not as a helpful friend, or an Aunt, but as JJ's girlfriend. It would give her something to work toward in her relationship, that was for certain, and Emily Prentiss always did like a challenge.

R-C

JJ was nearing the end of the second story Henry asked her to read. His big blue eyes were heavy and he was fighting to stay awake long enough to hear the ending, his favorite part. JJ smiled at her beautiful boy and rubbed soothing circles into his back.

When the book was over she stood, and returned it to the shelf. She looked to the bed half-expecting Henry to be sound asleep. Instead, he seemed more alert than he had been only seconds before. "Mama," he said, blinking his eyes rapidly in an attempt to stay awake, "is Auntie Em going to live with us forever?"

JJ was stunned by the question, so stunned her hand reached up to cover her mouth. That had been unexpected. She gave him a smile, a pitiful attempt to buy herself more time to construct an answer. Eventually JJ managed to tell the truth. "I don't know buddy. Would you like it if she did?"

Tired as he was, the boy lit up as she promised him extra dessert. "I'd love it!" he told her. "Michael too, we love Aunt Em."

She ruffled her son's hair, kissed his forehead and then his nose, making him giggle. He settled lower in the bed and she adjusted his blankets around him. "I love your Aunt Emily too buddy, but she has her own house and maybe sometimes she'd like to stay there."

With a big yawn that stretched the limitations of his jaw Henry closed his eyes and moulded into the pillow. "You should ask her, I think she likes it here."

She kissed her son one final time. "Sweet dreams buddy. I love you."

Long after she left Henry's room, JJ stayed upstairs, away from Emily. She hadn't thought about it, but she likely should have. Emily had a life, a good one, before JJ's problems interfered. She might not be going back to London, but she probably wanted some time away from JJ and her kids. Guilt bubbled up inside her. She was a horrible friend. Emily deserved better. Even if she wanted Emily's stay to become permanent, it was unfair to assume the brunette felt the same way.

Emily's presence just seemed so natural, as though she belonged in the house all along. Maybe that's why she hadn't really given much though to Emily leaving, because their time together had been practically seamless.

As she descended the stairs she decided that regardless of her feelings on the issue, she'd give Emily the choice. She was so worried that she forgot to ease into the conversation gently. She marched to the couch where Emily was lounging and blurted out, "Do you want to leave?"

Emily who had been watching TV with one leg across the leather cushions and the other flat on the floor immediately turned the TV off and swung her leg down until it was beside the other. "And go where?"

"Home," JJ answered stiffly.

She swallowed hard and JJ watched the movement of her throat, noticing the way her voice nearly broke before she could begin. "You want me to leave?"

"God no," JJ admitted quickly, too quickly for it to be a lie. "Of course not. I love having you here, and the boys love having you here, but you deserve a life of your own Em."

The former agent smiled and opened her arms in invitation. How could JJ be expected to refuse? "I have a life," she said as JJ settled into her lap, "a good one, a better one than I had in London." She tightened her hold on JJ and the blonde smiled uncontrollably. "I love you Jennifer, I love the boys and I am exactly where I want to be."

JJ's heart melted. What more could any woman, any mother want to hear? She was lucky and she knew it. She got so lost in thought that it gave Emily the opportunity to misunderstand the silence. "But if you guys need some space…"

Before she could finish JJ came to her senses and shook her head. Wiggling back into Emily's lap she smiled, looking over her shoulder with a flirty wink. "You aren't the only one who is exactly where she wants to be."

R-C

It was taking time but slowly JJ fell into a new routine. With Emily in her life and in her home, everything felt damn near perfect. The boys were happy, JJ was happy and Emily seemed happy too. Privately JJ was thrilled to be the source of Emily's happiness. Even when they were apart, knowing Emily and the boys were waiting at home could brighten even the darkest of her moods. It occurred to her somewhat absentmindedly that Will's presence in her life had never managed to make her feel the way Emily's did.

After being cleared for fieldwork she rejoined the team on their cases. She was nervous at first, even knowing how capable Emily was. The boys loved her and she loved them, but the fear was still there. What kind of mother would she be, if it wasn't? She called every few hours that first day just to check on them and Emily answered every single time, never once complaining.

Now she'd been out on four cases, ranging from three days to two weeks and Emily had been flawless. Each time she came home, the house was clean, Henry and Michael were happy and Emily greeted her with a smile and a kiss. If it was late, she'd reheat dinner, and if it was early enough she'd insist JJ take a bath and relax while she cooked. She was being spoiled for the first time in her life and she thoroughly enjoyed it.

It had been nearly eight weeks since the custody case and she hadn't heard from Will. He stayed in DC, in a hotel for three days after the decision. He spent less than five hours total with his sons and then left, but not before he signed the divorce papers Chris prepared for her. She didn't need Garcia's skills to know he was back in New Orleans licking his wounds. She suspected she wouldn't hear from her ex-husband again until his sufficiently bruised ego properly healed.

In the meantime, JJ was more than content to enjoy the time without drama. She'd been in the process of making a grocery list when Emily came into the kitchen carrying Henry over her shoulder and Michael under her arm. Both boys were laughing and Emily looked like she was barely containing her own amusement. "What's going on here?" she inquired.

Emily set the boys on their feet and JJ watched as their red faces shifted toward a more natural color. No one answered and she looked to Emily for clarification but the older woman just nodded toward Henry.

When he was ready and not a moment before, her eldest son stepped forward. "Mama am I a good boy?"

JJ's eyes flickered to Emily who was biting her lip and avoiding JJ's eye. "Of course, you are sweetie, why would you ask me that?"

Instead of answering Henry began counting off his accomplishments on his fingers. "I do my homework everyday, even the math, I help with Michael when you're busy, I pick up my toys when Aunt Em or you ask me to and I eat all my vegetables."

The seriousness of his words made it hard to keep a straight face, but JJ tried. Behind Henry, Emily had surrendered and was laughing quietly into her hand while Michael watched. "Yes, you are a very good boy Henry."

Henry's serious face lit up in triumph. "And good boys get ice cream, right Mama?"

All of this for ice cream? That sounded like her son. She glared at Emily who had managed to compose herself slightly. "Yes, I supposed a little ice cream wouldn't hurt, but your Auntie Em will have to take you, because I need to get started on dinner."

Emily chose that moment to come forward. "I'll handle dinner," she said with a soft hand on the small of JJ's back. "Go take the boys for ice cream, he's been practicing that speech for ten minutes," she whispered.

With a chuckle, JJ slapped her lover playfully on the arm. "You're a bad influence."

"Go get your shoes on," Emily said to the children, sending them racing toward the front door. Once they were gone her smoldering eyes turned to JJ and the blonde had to resist the urge to moan. "A bad influence? On them or on you?" she teased, reaching back to swat JJ's denim covered ass.

She jumped at the assault, but Emily scurried out of reach before she could respond in kind. "All of us," she yelled after the woman. "You're a terrible influence on all of us."

"You love me anyway," Emily shot back as she bent down to help Michael with his shoes.

JJ sighed as she set down her pen. "Yeah, I really do," she whispered, more to herself than to Emily.

R-C

Once they were gone, Emily got to work. She wouldn't have long. I'd be an hour at best, before the Jareaus got back from ice cream, but if she was quick that was all the time she'd need.

She started in the garage, gathering up the tools she'd need and the supplies she'd bought for exactly this reason. In the corner of the yard was a small circle of dirt, several feet across. JJ told her the previous owners had used it as a fire pit, and that grass refused to grow there, no matter what she tried. Emily could see the remnants of previous fires as she used new, red bricks to build a protective wall around the dirt. When she was finished, she added wood, and kindling. With the outdoor portion of her task complete she dusted off her hands, picked up a small axe and headed into the house.

Emily finished just as JJ pulled into the driveway. She hid the axe away quickly and hurried from the garage to meet the trio. "How was ice cream?" she asked, hoping to distract from what she had been doing.

Inside the house the boys went to play and JJ and Emily sat on the couch together. Emily allowed herself to feel proud. She'd gotten everything she wanted done, and it was still a surprise. The afternoon was going perfectly until JJ asked a simple question. "So, what are you making for dinner?"

Dinner? With a curse in a language she knew JJ wouldn't understand Emily remembered that she promised to handle dinner before she all but shoved JJ out the door. With little in the way of options she took the easiest route. "Uh, I was thinking pizza."

R-C

When there was a knock at the door both women expected it to be their dinner. JJ got up to answer it and instead of finding a teenaged, pimply delivery boy she found Penelope Garcia standing in front of her in a colorful dress, holding an equally bright purse in one hand and a bottle of red wine in the other. "Girls night?" she asked with a wide grin.

With a shake of her head JJ stepped aside. "Come on in, Emily is in the living room, the boys are upstairs and the pizza is on its way."

"Sounds like I picked the right night to come visit my two favorite girls and my two favorite guys."

She escorted her friend to the living room and Garcia settled into a chair while JJ returned to the couch. While Emily and Garcia caught up, JJ had a battle of conscience. Before Garcia's arrival, she'd been cuddled up to Emily, savoring the feeling of her strong, warm arms, but now they had company and she couldn't do that anymore, or could she? She was sitting on the couch, with a significant amount of space between Emily and her. From the look on the brunette's face, JJ could tell the distance had not gone unnoticed and it appeared to be as unpleasant for Emily as it was for her.

Her two friends chatted away and JJ tried to nod and smile at the appropriate times but her heart just wasn't in it. Wine was poured and she sipped without tasting it. What was she doing? She loved Emily, of that she was certain and yet she was hiding like a coward. Why, because some people might not approve? Who cares what they think? She spent a long time unhappy, but that was over now. She was happy with Emily and she wasn't going to act as though she wasn't. Emily had already done the hard work, she confessed her feelings for JJ in open court. It was now part of the public record that Emily Prentiss loved her, long before JJ was even aware of the feelings. All she really had to do was admit that she felt the same way.

When she came back to the present, Garcia was filling in Emily on their most recent case, recounting how the Unsub had tried to drown Alvez and how Reid had to save his life. JJ had already told Emily the story, but the former Interpol agent listened as though it was all new to her, hanging on Penelope's every word.

JJ made a point to try and pay more attention to the conversation and she was making progress, or thought she was until the doorbell rang again. She bounced up. "Pizza's here. I'll get it."

"Jayje," Emily called, "there's some cash in my leather jacket by the door."

She had money in her pocket and had no intention of using Emily's but the offer, and the severely domestic scene reminded her why she loved the other woman. When the door opened this time, it still wasn't their pizza, but a pair of burly looking men. Between them on the step was a large brown cardboard box, one that definitely required both of them to carry it. Looking down at his clipboard the older of the two men smiled. "We got a delivery here for Emily Prentiss."

"U…Oh, ok, um, come on in. I can sign for it if you, if you like."

She signed the paper and handed it back. Seconds later the men had hoisted the box and were carrying it into the house. "Where do you want this Miss?"

"What is it?" she asked foolishly, announcing to one and all how completely unaware she was.

"A bed," he told her, adjusting his grip on the box.

"Emily!" JJ yelled, forgetting her manners briefly. "Did you buy a new bed?"

Emily and Garcia arrived, the latter holding her glass of wine. JJ looked from her lover, to her friend and back. "You can put it in Emily's room upstairs, I'll show you the way."

"It goes in the master bedroom, actually" Emily corrected casually.

"Why are you sleeping in the master bedroom?" Garcia asked, after a sip of wine.

"I'm not, the bed's for JJ."

The remainder of the conversation was cut off because JJ moved too far away. She guided the men and their box to the master bedroom and found a large empty space where her bed had once been. Emily had planned ahead. "You can put it down right here," she told them.

With a grunt of effort, they set the box down. "We'll just go get the mattresses and you'll be all set."

When the delivery was made, the men tipped and gone JJ returned to the living room and walked into the middle of a conversation. "So why exactly are you buying JJ a new bed?"

The two women looked at one another, Emily looked apologetic as she blushed red and JJ felt a fresh wave of guilt. "It's complicated," she said, as though that might sway Garcia. Both women knew it wouldn't.

JJ knew it really wasn't fair to force Emily to lie for her. With a decision made, she hurried before she changed her mind. "No, it's really not," she countered, returning to the couch and dropping down, not on the opposite side, where she had been sitting, but directly on Emily's lap. "Emily loves me, and I love her." To prove her point she took hold of Emily's cheeks in her hands. She briefly enjoyed the shocked expression on the traditionally stoic woman and then she lowered her lips and kissed her deeply.

R-C

Garcia squealed and resisted the urge to clap. She had to remind herself that this wasn't a movie, but her friend's lives. Therefore, she needed to act with a measure of maturity. She'd always felt there was some tension between the couple, but she'd never imagined it would turn into this. After all, JJ had Will and Emily was in London with Mark.

She had so many questions she wasn't sure which one to ask first. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, neither woman was capable of speaking in that moment. When the kiss was finally over, JJ made no move to leave Emily's lap, and Emily's arms tightened around her in reply. She turned the smaller woman to face Garcia, her back pressing against Emily's chest.

"Wow, I don't even know where to start." She paused for a fraction of a section. "Oh, yes I do! When? Tell me when this started!"

JJ looked behind her to smile at Emily. "In the hospital after I got shot, but before Novak took us hostage."

Garcia was beside herself. She was thrilled. How could she not be? Two of her favorite people were in love, and it was love. JJ had said it was love, and looking at them now, cuddled together, it was obviously love. "That's… " For once, she didn't even have words. "Wow."

"That's what we said," Emily joked and in her lap JJ giggled.

"We would've been fine if it wasn't for that damn heart monitor," JJ added, looking up adoringly into chocolate brown eyes that refused to leave her.

"Perfectly fine," Emily agreed, leaning down to capture JJ's lips.

This time when the doorbell rang JJ barely moved. She turned her head just enough to meet Garcia's eye and speak clearly. Before she could manage any words though, Emily took advantage of their new position and whispered something in the available ear. Whatever she said, it seemed to light a fire in JJ's eyes. "Garcia," she said in a breathy voice, "can you get the door, I don't want to move. There is money in Emily's jacket."

R-C

Garcia stayed long enough to enjoy her pizza, ask plenty of embarrassing questions and tuck the boys into bed. After a few glasses of wine, she needed a cab to take her home, leaving her car to be picked up the next day.

Alone again, JJ and Emily cuddled on the couch. "You didn't have to tell her," Emily said softly. "I understand why you wanted to wait."

JJ turned and pinned Emily in a serious stare. "I love you Emily Prentiss and I'm not ashamed to admit that. Garcia, the team, our families, they are all going to find out eventually, because I'm in this for the long haul, so why not now?"

Just before they met for another kiss Emily smiled. "You're the bravest woman I've ever known." JJ's response was to smile back and deepen the kiss.

Feeling way too comfortable to move, JJ wanted to spend the rest of the night exactly like this, but she couldn't. There was a new bed that needed to be put together. She stood up without warning and reached for Emily's hand. She pulled the other woman up, groaning when Emily began to lean back, unwilling to leave the couch. "Come on, you got me a new bed and now we've got to put it together."

"You want to do that tonight?"

"Don't you?"

Emily looked shy and almost bashful. "I… I thought you could spend one more night in the guest room. I was going to put the bed together tomorrow afternoon. I thought Henry might like to help, you know with all the tools and screws and everything… I just thought…"

JJ stopped her by pressing a finger to her lips. "Hush." When she got the desired silence, she bent down and gave Emily a kiss that was entirely too short. "Henry will love that and of course I'll spend the night with you, but Emily that's not a guest room, its yours for as long as you want it."

As close as they were there was one subject JJ was still afraid to broach. She had wondered if Emily giving her a new bed was a way of saying she didn't want JJ to join her in her room anymore. Given what she just heard, that seemed unlikely, but the doubt still swirled around her like a poison.

"Where is the old bed?" she finally asked.

"Outside, in the backyard."

She was certain she must have misheard. "The backyard? Why in the world would you put my bed in the backyard?"

Rather than answer Emily stood and used their joined hands to pull JJ to the rear of the house. In the backyard, she saw the newly constructed fire pit and in addition to fire wood JJ could see pieces of familiar mahogany. It wasn't difficult to find the pieces of her former bed. "You chopped up my bed."

"You said you'd never sleep in it again, and I sure as hell was never going to lie on it, so that didn't leave me many options." She kissed her and JJ shivered. "You shouldn't have to avoid your own bedroom Jayje and now you don't."

JJ was more than a little touched by the gesture and the sentiment behind it. "When that bed is put together and I go back to my room are you going to join me?" she asked bravely.

"I'll be wherever you want me."

"I want you there," JJ admitted. The two shared a heated kiss in the cold night and as they broke away JJ's eyes landed on the stocked fire pit. "Tomorrow night you can keep me warm, but tonight I think we need the fire."

"You want to light it, now?" Emily guessed correctly.

"Not right now," she said with a smirk. "Go wake the boys and I'll see if we have marshmallows."

R-C

Both Emily and JJ were moving around the kitchen, busy with their own tasks. They were having a get together and both of them were on edge. The entire team was coming over, along with Chris, Morgan, Savanah and the baby. They had been trying to have this party for months but it was nearly impossible to find a time when everyone was available. JJ had even invited the Ambassador but she hadn't heard if the elder Prentiss intended to make an appearance or not.

With only minutes before guests were due to arrive, JJ stood at the stove, checking on the status of the meal. Unexpectedly two arms slithered around her and held her tightly. She leaned back and whimpered, pressing herself completely into the taller woman.

"Jayje, what do you want to do about the team?" Emily asked, clearly worried.

"What about the team?" she asked turning to face Emily while remaining in her arms.

"Do you want to tell them?"

"I meant what I said Em, they are going to find out eventually. Garcia already knows. This is our house and our family and if I want to kiss you tonight, I'm not going to stop myself just because people might see." She leaned up on her toes and kissed Emily, using her tongue to extend the kiss and to try and coax Emily's doubts away. When it was over she settled down on her heels. "I sincerely hope that you don't go all night without kissing me."

"You're amazing," Emily said with obvious wonder and awe.

R-C

The party was in full swing and Henry and Michael were the stars. They moved around the room, from person to person, entertaining them with stories from school, daycare, the park or the zoo.

Michael was in the middle of regaling Rossi with his lion impression when the doorbell rang again. Her eyes narrowed and she scanned the room. Everybody she thought JJ invited had already arrived. She thought about asking JJ but she was in the kitchen, refilling drinks.

Emily opened the door, mildly curious but entirely unprepared for who stood on the front step. "Emily," her mother said kindly, "lovely to see you."

"Mother, what are you doing here?" she asked as she stepped back and allowed the Ambassador in.

"Jennifer invited me, I thought you knew."

With a deep breath, Emily worked to keep her voice even. "She likely intended it to be a surprise." She took and hung her mother's coat and then escorted her to the living room where everyone else was gathered.

While the Ambassador made the rounds, meeting new people and speaking politely with the ones she knew, JJ pulled Emily into the kitchen.

"Em, I'm so sorry, I meant to tell you I invited her, but I didn't think she'd be coming. She never told me she was coming and after the date changed so many times, I really didn't think…"

"It's fine," Emily assured her, forcing a smile to her face. Stiff as it was, it was still a smile and JJ clearly appreciated the effort. "Come on, our guests are waiting.

JJ smiled good naturedly when the Ambassador noticed her. "Ambassador Prentiss, welcome back to our home."

Emily knew the moment her mother keyed in on the one relevant word, 'our'. Always diplomatic in front of others she said nothing of it, and thanked Jennifer for her hospitality.

The couple sat side by side on the couch. Around them Emily saw all the people she loved most. Even her mother, who she didn't always have the easiest time relating to, was present. She enjoyed watching her mother interact with Henry and Michael. With everyone else she was so stiff and proper, but she willingly sat on the carpet in her expensive clothes and listened to Henry explain why one of his cars was better than the other. She asked him questions, gave her opinions and smiled openly. It was a side of her mother she'd rarely seen.

It hadn't escaped her notice that JJ hadn't touched her since the Ambassador arrived. Likewise, no one spoke of their new relationship. It was a wordless bargain that Emily was uncomfortable with. She thought back to what JJ had said earlier, this was their home and their life now and her mother was going to learn the truth sooner or later, better it be now, regardless of what her reaction might be. JJ, Henry and Michael were worth taking the risk.

Without a comment, she reached out and took JJ's hand, interlocking their fingers and squeezing. The blonde who had been speaking to Lewis, stopped mid-sentence to look at her partner. A sly smile sat on her lips for a moment and then she turned back to Lewis and continued their conversation as if nothing had happened.

When Elizabeth managed to pry herself away from Henry's one man show Emily felt JJ trying to pull her hand back subtly but Emily refused to release her. She tightened her grip and lifted their joined hands to her lips, kissing the back of JJ's, in full view of her mother.

Their eyes met and Emily watched a whole series of emotions pass across her Elizabeth's face. What surprised her wasn't what she saw, but what she didn't see. There was no anger, no disgust, no contempt. Her mother was surprised surely, but she didn't appear overly upset. Emily wasn't sure what to make of it.

More than an hour later she escorted her mother to her car. "Are you still happy Emily?" Elizabeth asked.

"More than I ever thought possible."

With a nod, the conversation was over and they continued to the car in silence. She opened the door for her mother and expected her to get right in, but she didn't. "I'm going to be in DC for a few more weeks. Do you think you and Jennifer might like to have lunch?"

Emily was more than an a little unprepared for the invitation, because that's what it was, an offer. Typically, her mother commanded such appointments, but this was different, she was really asking this time. "I'll have to check with JJ, but I'm sure she'd like that."

Elizabeth smiled at the news. "Oh and of course you can bring the boys, they are an absolute delight."

"Yes, they are." She grinned, waiting until her mother was in the car and then closing the door. It was a strange experience leaving a conversation with her mother while smiling but as she walked back to the house that's what happened. It felt strange, but good.

Back indoors she was quick to go to JJ's side. The blonde was telling an embarrassing story about Morgan while Savanah laughed and Derek cringed. Emily dropped a kiss on her girlfriend's head and slipped an arm around her waist. JJ looked up, smiled and pressed even closer to Emily..

Yep, she could definitely get used to this.

R-C

Author's Note: That's it, that's all I've got for now. I'm not opposed to a sequel for this, but I'm also toying around with other adventures these two might have. Anybody with any ideas is free to send me a message.

Thanks again for reading.

Until next time,

Russell Craig.


End file.
